REMARKS 



ON 



SEVERAL COMMONERRORS 



CONCERNING THE 



WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG- 



CONTAINED PRINCIPALLY 



IN TWO PAMPHLETS, 



WHICH ARK USED FOR OPPOSING 



THE NEW JERUSALEM 



JBY SAMUEL WORCESTER. 



BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY JOHN ALLEN, NO. 11, SCHOOL STREET. 

1832. 



REMARKS 



SEVERAL COMMONERRORS 



CONCERNING THE 



WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 



CONTAINED PRINCIPALLY 



IN TWO PAMPHLETS, 



WHICH ARE USED FOR OPPOSING 



THE NEW JERUSALEM 



BY SAMUEL. WORCESTER. 



•V BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY JOHN ALLEN, NO. 11, SCHOOL STREET. 

1832. 




#• i 



PRINTED BY I. R. BUTTS .BOSTON, 



PREFACE. 



The first Pamphlet to which these remarks refer, 
contains some serious allegations against the receivers 
of the writings of Swedenborg, which it seems most 
proper to notice in a Preface. The Pamphlet has the 
following title-page : 

" The principal Doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church, con- 
tained in fortytwo articles, with references, carefully selected, 
from the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Pub- 
lished in London, in 1788. By a Committee of the New Jeru- 
salem Church, London. With Extracts from his Treatise on 
the Pleasures of Insanity, concerning Scortatory Love. First 
American Edition. 1820." 

The first paragraphs of the Introduction are as fol- 
low : 

1. " The followers of Emanuel Swedenborg, in various parts 
of this country, are discovering peculiar zeal to disseminate 
his doctrines, and to make proselytes to the faith which they 
have embraced. Of this no one, perhaps, could reasonably 
complain ; if the measures adopted to accomplish the object 
in view were strictly fair, and indicative of ' godly sincerity.' 
The scheme extensively pursued, is the following. Small 
detached portions of the writings of Swedenborg are printed 
by themselves, and widely circulated. These portions are 
always the least offensive and exceptionable parts of his 
works ; usually some of his Commentaries on the Scriptures, 
giving what is called the internal sense, or a spiritual inter- 
pretation of their contents. These are put into the hands of 
the noviciate ; and he does not know that anything of a dif- 



IV 



ferent character is to succeed them. When he has perused 
these, he is furnished with other and larger portions of the 
same general nature, but disclosing somewhat more fully the 
nature of the system. It is not, however, until he is well 
initiated ; until his mind, by frequently contemplating the 
less gross and ridiculous parts of the system, is prepared to 
look with composure at the rest ; that its more absurd and 
disgusting features are exhibited. 

2. " This mode of endeavoring to disseminate the principles 
of Swedenborg, should we even admit them to be true, is 
unjustifiable ; and proves that those who are concerned in it 
have derived little benefit from his writings. If anything 
is pre-eminently necessary to the character of virtue, it is 
rectilinear' integrity. To do evil that good may come, is a prin- 
ciple of action wholly abhorrent to the spirit of Christianity. 
St. Paul pronounces the condemnation of those persons to be 
just, who even reported that he and his brethren were gov- 
erned by it." 

The author then states that, "it is to counteract the 
mischievous effects of these unlawful measures, that the 
following pamphlet is published." 

The reader will here inquire who brings these accu- 
sations against the members of the New Church ; and 
whether the author, in thus opposing the New Church, 
has set an example of that " rectilinear integrity" which 
he so justly approves. It will be obvious to every one, 
that those w 7 ho bring accusations, and especially those 
of a personal character, against any class of men, should 
give their own names, and make themselves in all re- 
spects responsible for the truth of their statements. In 
the pamphlet before us, the name of the compiler, the 
publisher, the printer, and the place of publication, are 
all omitted. It is said to be the " First American Edi- 
tion ;" and from the placing of this at the bottom of the 
title-page, the only fair inference is, that the whole 
pamphlet was first printed in a foreign country. There 
was a peculiar anxiety manifested when the pamphlet 
was first printed, to preserve secrecy in relation to its 



origin ; and the same disposition appears even at this 
day. There are probably very few persons who know 
where or by whom it was compiled ; and it appears 
never to have been published, or exposed for public 
sale. It has been very extensively circulated in a secret 
manner ; and so far as the members of the New Church 
can discover, it has been, and still is, the principal 
engine that is made use of in New England, to oppose 
the doctrines which they profess. A new pamphlet has 
been issued in a manner somewhat similar; and, thus, 
there is too much reason for supposing that this secret 
mode of warfare is deliberately adopted by the opponents 
of the New Church. Can it be doubted that it would 
have the salutary effect of making them more reason- 
able, and more careful in respect to the truth of their 
statements, if they would " come to the light," and 
write as those " who must give an account ?" 

This is not designed to imply that I have any dis- 
position to enter into a controversy with any member 
of the Old Church. No one can desire it less ; but if 
publications are issued against the New Church, which 
demand a reply, I wish to know whence they come, that 
I maybe the better enabled to show whither they go; 
and I believe that the cause of truth and honest dealing, 
and a due regard to the good of the writers themselves, 
render it proper for members of the New Church to 
protest against this secret warfare. That the readers 
of this first pamphlet may hereafter have the benefit of 
such names as the compiler and printer should have 
given, I shall state some facts, which I suppose to be 
susceptible of legal proof. 

It was compiled by the Rev. John W. Ellingwood, 



VI 

of Bath, in the state of Maine. Mr. Ellingwood is the 
minister of the North Church, or society of Calvinistic 
Congregationalists, in that town. He collected the 
books from which the extracts were made, and took the 
leading part in compiling the pamphlet. 

The " Introduction" has been ascribed to different 
individuals. Several of the " Orthodox," and some of 
other sects, have said that it was written by Rev. Mr. 
Dwight, formerly minister of Park Street Church, Bos- 
ton. I suppose this to be true, but cannot affirm it. If 
Mr. Ellingwood compiled the pamphlet, and put it into 
the hands of any person, requesting or consenting, then 
or afterward, that additions should be made to it, he may 
fairly be regarded as responsible for the whole ; but of 
this I willingly leave the reader to form his own opinion. 
It is, however, certain that Mr. Ellingwood and several 
of his church, have been very busy in circulating the 
pamphlet with its " Introduction." 

It was printed, not published, by Messrs. Crocker & 
Brewster, of Boston. The printing was paid for by about 
a dozen members of the two " Orthodox " churches 
in Bath. The names of most of these persons are be- 
fore me, but there seems to be no need of publishing 
them. 

It thus appears that the ic First American Edition" 
of this pamphlet was simply the first edition. It has 
been very extensively circulated, and I should suppose 
there had been many thousand copies ; but the first 
edition is said to have consisted of only one thousand, 
and all the copies that I have seen are dated " 1820." 

When it first appeared, it produced considerable sen- 
sation among the connexions of those who belong to 
the New Church. Many were anxious to know whether 



Vll 



the statements there made were correct. The answer 
uniformly given, was in the negative. A little discus- 
sion on the subject also appeared in one of the Boston 
newspapers. The members of the New Church are 
generally averse to controversy ; and their principles 
forbid doing evil that good may come, and rendering 
evil for evil. Considered in relation to ourselves, we 
should not be likely to think any misstatements called 
for a reply ; but when they lead others to form errone- 
ous opinions concerning the doctrines of the New Jeru- 
salem, which have been revealed from heaven, and 
excite such enmity as closes their minds against the 
true light ; and especially when such misstatements are 
long and frequently repeated, and are industriously cir- 
culated as true and just, we may sometimes think it 
proper to contradict them, and substitute truth for 
falsity. 

The duty, which I have assumed, of replying to this 
pamphlet, is rendered peculiarly unpleasant and difficult 
by the nature of the principal subject, by the style of the 
attack, and by the vigilant efforts of the friends of the 
pamphlet, to deter others from reading those works which 
state truly the heavenly doctrines of the New Jerusalem. 
For many things that 1 state, the reader can have no 
direct evidence but my assertion ; and this will unavoid- 
ably deny in explicit terms the solemn assertions of the 
pamphlet. But the reader will be so good as to bear 
in mind, that I have been well known as openly pro- 
fessing and teaching the truths of the New Church for 
sixteen years ; that no one was more active in dissem- 
inating them when this pamphlet was compiled ; that 
there is probably no person in the United States, whose 
opportunities have been greater for knowing the manner 



vm 



in which these doctrines are disseminated, and the 
opinions of those who receive them, concerning the 
subjects treated of in this pamphlet ; and that I give 
my name, and make myself responsible for my state- 
ments. 

It is my purpose to avoid everything like harsh 
censure, recrimination, and unkindness ; and if the 
reader discovers anything of this kind, I beg that he 
will not be pleased with it, nor attempt to justify it, 
but cast it away as evil. 

The accusations against the members of the New 
Church, respecting their manner of circulating the works 
of Swedenborg, have already been quoted, with the 
exception of one, viz. that the work from which the 
" Extracts " were made, is said to be " the last of his 
treatises put into the hands of the young disciple." p. 5. 
If the reader will be so good as to look back to these 
accusations and observe them distinctly, he shall im- 
mediately have a direct answer to them. 

I have had abundant means of knowing, and have 
taken special pains to ascertain, whether any such mode 
of disseminating these doctrines is practised ; and the 
truth is, that no such practice has existed in America 
or in England, and I have no reason to suppose it ever 
existed in any country. From the time that the sev- 
eral works of Swedenborg were first printed, they were 
regularly published and exposed for sale ; and as fast as 
they were translated, they were all advertised in cata^ 
logues on the covers of each, in the public papers, in 
separate catalogues, and in New Church magazines. 
The English editions were first used in America. In 
these, and in many of those which have been re- 
printed in America, similar catalogues have appear-. 



IX 

ed. One of the first that was re-printed, was that 
from which the " Extracts" were made. This 
and all the others, as fast as they were translated, 
have been constantly exposed for public sale in this 
country for forty years. Several persons that I have 
known, were first introduced to that very book. 
Neither that nor any other has ever been kept back. 
Those who wish to read these works, generally select 
for themselves. We have always loaned them 
all, and spoken of them all freely. If at any time we 
recommend any, we are likely to select such as we 
suppose will be most intelligible and useful to the reader. 
This selection is commonly determined by some inqui- 
ries or remarks on some religious subject, which make it 
proper for us to refer to what Swedenborg teaches. 
We urge nothing, and conceal nothing ; but we preserve 
the freedom of eveiy one as much as possible, and avoid 
as much as possible the common modes of proselyting. 

I do not mean to say, that no individual of those 
who profess to receive the writings of Swedenborg, has 
ever done wrong in relation to the point of these accu- 
sations; but I do say that examples of such wrong 
cannot have been common at any time, and that the 
receivers of the writings of Swedenborg have always 
been strongly opposed to all arts and stratagem in dis- 
seminating what they believe to be truths. 

If I can do it without its appearing invidious, I shall 
like to inquire of the compiler and friends of this pamph- 
let, whether they have not adopted just such measures 
for deterring the public from examining the works of 
Swedenborg, as they charge us with adopting to pro- 
mote the reading of them ? They charge us with cir- 



culating small detached portions of his works which are 
the " least offensive and exceptionable," and withhold- 
ing the complete views of the system, till the readers 
have become somewhat seasoned to this great wicked- 
ness. Now, have not the opponents of these docrines 
printed small detached portions of these works,- — and 
such as they regarded most " offensive and exceptiona- 
ble," — and "added censorious remarks, and put forth 
their pamphlet as giving a fair view of the writings of 
Swedenborg ? And did they not mean thereby to 
deter others from reading these works ? And is not 
this pamphlet now used by several sects as the princi- 
pal means of checking the progress of the New Church ? 
And is not this done, although it is well known to the 
intelligent of all these sects, that all members of the New 
Church utterly deny the fairness and correctness of its 
statements ? 

I have thus endeavored fairly and mildly to repel this 
attack on the characters of those who believe and circu- 
late the writings of Swedenborg. These remarks apply 
to their conduct in only one particular. In this and 
all other respects, their characters are open to the 
judgment of Heaven and earth ; and I well know that 
they have nothing of which they can boast, nor for 
which they should be complimented. I can only wish 
that they were better, and express a hope that they are 
in the way of gradual improvement. 



REMARKS ON THE FIRST PAMPHLET. 



Having noticed in the preceding Preface that part of 
the Introduction to Mr. Ellingwood's pamphlet which re- 
lates personally to those who believe and circulate the 
writings of Swedenborg, I now pass to the first article 
which follows the Introduction, and which is denoted in 
the title page by the "Principal Doctrines of the New 
Jerusalem Church." 

This is an abstract statement made by certain mem- 
bers of the New Church in England ; and, like most 
other things, is capable of being turned either to a 
good or an evil purpose. To those who have consider- 
able knowledge of the truths of the New Church, it may 
be useful, as presenting in a very concise form the sum 
of what they believe on the various topics there enumer- 
ated ; and from general ideas their minds may be led to 
the particulars of which these are composed. To others 
it can give scarcely any information concerning the Heav- 
enly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem ; and if any are 
made to believe that it gives anything like a fair and 
competent view of them, they are led into a great error. 
These doctrines are derived from the Word, opened and 
illustrated as to its internal senses ; and they cannot be 
well understood except by those who read the Word in 



12 



the light of these internal senses. A boy who should 
undertake to learn Addition, would be very little assist- 
ed by being shown the sum or amount of various large 
numbers. He would need to learn the value of the num- 
bers separately, and the mode of combining them, and 
then he might understand what was meant by their 
amount. It is so with these doctrines, or articles of 
faith ; and those who know nothing of the faith of this 
church, except what they learn from these, are scarcely 
one degree removed from total ignorance. If the pub- 
lic were as ignorant of Calvinism as they are of the doc- 
trines of the New Jerusalem, would Mr. Ellingwood, or 
any person who circulates this pamphlet, think that a 
fair view, or indeed any distinct view at all, could be 
presented in seven small pages. And, yet, it is a very 
common impression among the readers of this pamphlet, 
that it really gives them a competent view of the New 
Church system. Such is the tendency of the pamphlet 
to deceive. 

There is not, however, much consistency prevailing on 
this point. The charge at one time is, that this system is 
wholly mysterious ; at another, that it is embraced in so 
many ponderous volumes, that few can have time or pa- 
tience to obtain a good knowledge of it ; at another, that 
this little pamphlet presents it fairly ! 

Concerning this part of the pamphlet the Introduction 
contains several remarks. It says — " by looking at the 
7th section, the sober-minded reader will perceive that the 
doctrines of the Trinity, of the Atonement, of Justifica- 
tion by Faith alone, and of the Resurrection of the body, 
are discarded." 

This is not a fair statement. The section alluded to, 
speaks not of the doctrine of the Trinity, but of " Three 
Divine Persons ; " and not of the resurrection of the 
body, but of the " resurrection of the material body." 



13 

Swedenborg teaches that there is a Trinity in the Lord 
consisting of the Essential Divine, the Divine Human or 
the Lord's Glorious Body, and the Proceeding Divine or 
Divine Operation. The Essential Divine is the Father ; 
the Divine Human, or Glorious Body, is the Son ; and'the 
Proceeding Divine, or Divine Operation, is the Holy 
Spirit. An image of this Trinity exists in every individ- 
ual man. The soul of man corresponds to the Father ; 
his body, to the Son ; and his operation or life proceed- 
ing from this body, corresponds to the Holy Spirit. 
Thus, in relation to the Lord, the Father who is said to 
dwell in Him, is the Essential Divine, or Divine Soul ; 
the Son is the Divine Human or Glorious Body, in which 
that Soul dwells ; and the Holy Spirit is the Divine 
Life proceeding from the Divine Human. 

This Trinity is in the Lord Jesus Christ. How can it 
be otherwise if Paul said truly, that " in him dwelleth 

ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY 1 " 

Thus Swedenborg does not deny the doctrine of the 
Trinity, but he discards the doctrine of three persons 
in the godhead. Three persons are three beings — three 
distinct personal beings ; and however you may talk, 
preach, or write about it, you cannot, I think, conceive of 
three Divine persons, except as three Gods. It seems to 
me absolutely impossible for any one to conceive of three 
Divine persons, and believe in three Divine persons, oth- 
erwise than as three Gods. Now, the Heavenly Doctrines 
of the New Jerusalem teach that there is but one God — 
and that the Lord Jesus Christ is that one God — even 
the true God and Eternal Life. 

In relation to the Atonement: It is really true, that the 

New Church do not believe this doctrine as it is taught 

by Calvinists. We do not believe that there are Three 

Gods, or Three Persons, in the Trinity ; and that one of 

2 



14 



these Gods, or Persons, was angry with the human race 
on account of their sins, and sent another God or Person, 
or that another God or Person offered to come, and did 
come to appease his wrath • and that the Second Person 
or God did suffer the punishment due to the whole human 
race on account of their sins, and thus appease the wrath 
of the First Person or God, and render him propitious to- 
wards a part of the human race. This whole theory of 
Atonement the New Church reject, and I hope they reject 
it fully and heartily. 

But the New Church do believe in the doctrine of 
redemption. They believe that the one living and 
true God, " the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," 
was pleased in His great mercy to manifest himself in the 
flesh — to become God with us — by assuming the hu- 
man nature, and appearing in the world as a Man. They 
also believe that the Lord kept or fulfilled the whole law, 
or revealed truth, in this Humanity which He assumed ; 
and that He thereby overcame and put away all the he- 
reditary evils and imperfections of the Humanity which 
He assumed, and put on, or substituted, in place of these 
evils and imperfections, Divine principles from His own 
Divinity — the Father who dwelt within him, till he was whol- 
ly glorified or made wholly Divine. They believe, there- 
fore, in the Divinity of His Humanity or Body ; and do 
not, as others, believe that His Humanity is like the hu- 
manity of the sons of men. They also believe that 
while the Lord " was in all points tempted like as we 
are," and resisted and overcame all evil in Himself, and 
was thus " without sin," He also resisted and overcame 
all those evil spirits who caused the temptations ; and that 
He removed those evil spirits from the minds of men, ex- 
ecuted a final judgment upon them, and consigned them 
to their own place. This is meant when the Lord is 



15 

spoken of as a Man of War, as going forth conquering 
and to conquer, as delivering His people from their ene- 
mies ; and also when He is said to have cast out devils, 
and when He said, " I beheld Satan as lightning fall from 
heaven, v " For judgment I am come into the world" 
u Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince 
of this world be cast out" This reduction of all things 
to order in the spiritual world, is what is referred to in 
that very extensive class of texts in the Psalms and 
Prophets, where the Lord's temptations, combats with His 
enemies, and victories over them, are described. 

The New Church also believe, that, by glorifying His 
Humanity, and becoming God and Man in one Divine 
Person, in whom dioelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily, and by thus fulfilling the whole Word or Law in 
Himself, and conquering all His euemies, He actually 
wrought Salvation and Redemption for mankind. He 
thereby acquired power to succor those who are tempt- 
ed, — to give men ability to repent and forsake their sins, 
and keep His commandments, and thus follow Him in the 
way in which He has gone before them, even the way of 
regeneration unto everlasting life. 

They also believe, that the power, influence, and oper- 
ation of the Lord upon men, whereby He redeems and 
saves them, is the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Truth proceed- 
ing from Himself; and that every right thought and affec- 
tion, word and action of man, are to be ascribed to the 
operating goodness, wisdom, and power of the Holy Spi- 
rit. This is the doctrine of Redemption which the New 
Church substitute for the " orthodox " doctrine of 
Atonement. 

And, as the doctrines of Three Persons or Gods in the 
Godhead, and of Atonement by vicarious punishment, 
are discarded by the New Church, so the other essential 



16 



article of modern " orthodoxy" is discarded also. The 
Lord came not to save men by Faith alone, but " to bless 
them by turning them aioay every one from his iniquities ;" 

— to save them from their sins, — and to purify unto 
Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" He 
came to redeem them from their iniquities, to give them 
repentance, to manifest and do the truth, to give them 
power to become His friends by doing His commandments; 

— hence He came to place mankind in a condition 

IN WHICH THEY CAN WORK OUT THEIR OWN SALVATION, 
WHILE HE, OF HIS OWN GOOD PLEASURE, WORKETH IN 
THEM TO WILL AND TO DO. 

Thus it is made man's duty to do the truth, as much 
as to believe it, — to keep the commandments as much as 
to know them. To have faith only in the Lord Jesus 
Christ, is not what is required ; but to have faith in Him, 
and keep His commandments, are what is required ; and 
they make man just, ox justify him. 

As to ilie Insurrection, the doctrine of the New Jerusa- 
lem is, that there is a natural body, and a spiritual body ; 
and that the body which is sown, or laid in the earth, is 
not that which shall be raised ; but that the body which 
shall be raised, is the spiritual body, which also is the 
living principle in the natural body. It also teaches, that 
man rises with his spiritual body, and enters into the 
spiritual world, usually on the third day after his de- 
cease ; and that he has no further use for his material 
oody. 

The " Introduction" to this pamphlet also refers to 
that article in the Abstract of the Doctrines of the New 
Church, which enumerates those books in the Bible 
which are properly the Word ; and in the page of ques- 
tions at the end of the pamphlet 3 is the following ; 



17 



"Can those writings be inspired, or have any claim to 
belief, which not only deny the great doctrines of the Scrip- 
tures, but declare that one sixth of the Old Testament, and 
more than half of the New, does not belong to the Word of 
God ? " 

The members of the New Church are not accustomed 
to speak of the works of Swedenborg as inspired. This 
has been done by some, who meant only to express the 
idea that he wrote from heavenly light. But Sweden- 
borg does not thus speak of his works : and as that term 
is most properly appropriated to such writings as were 
dictated by the Lord, without any modification by the 
rational and voluntary operation of the minds of the 
writers, it has an obvious tendency to mislead the mind 
when applied to the writings of Swedenborg. Those 
who wrote the Word, wrote from Inspiration ; Sweden- 
borg, the Apostles, and some others, wrote from Illustra- 
tion or Illumination of the mind by heavenly light. Swe- 
denborg wrote from more full Illustration than even the 
Apostles. 

As to those parts of the Bible which the doctrine of 
the New Church does not admit to belong to the Word, 
it does not convey a correct idea to the minds of most 
persons, to say that the New Church do not regard them 
as inspired, or as belonging to the Word or Sacred Scrip- 
ture. In relation to this subject a false impression is made 
by this pamphlet, and by the common remarks of the 
Old Church. By some this is doubtless done ignorantly^ 
and not maliciously. 

Take for example the Epistles of the Apostles. The 
New Church suppose that they were written by the Apos- 
tles ; that the Apostles were enlightened by the Holy 
Spirit, and wrote honestly and truly according to the 
light which they possessed ; and that their writings and 
2* 



18 



other instructions were adapted for the introduction and 
establishment of Christianity among the nations to which 
they were sent. 

How much does this fall short of the belief of the dif- 
ferent " orthodox" sects themselves, who seem to re- 
gard the Epistles as " the very cream of the Bible" — as 
truly the most important part of revelation'? The New 
Church do not, indeed, hold that every sentence in the 
Epistles is certainly and necessarily correct. Indeed, I 
may say individually, that there are a few things in them, 
which seem to me incorrect, and others that are obscure 
and of a doubtful character. I suppose that Paul thought 
celibacy a more holy state than marriage ; and that the 
destruction of the material heavens and earth, and the 
Second Coming of the Lord, were expected by Paul, 
Peter, John, and probably by all the Apostles, in their 
own day. I suppose they expected these events in their 
own day, when they wrote their Epistles. It also appears 
that their idea of the work of Redemption was some- 
what indistinct ; and the same is to be said of their idea 
of the unity of the Godhead in the person of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, although they appear to have sometimes 
had a correct and clear general view of this subject. 
The indistinctness of their views on these subjects, may, 
however, have been less in reality, than it is in appear- 
ance. They wrote to those who were very ignorant of 
spiritual things, and hence they could not bring out their 
own interior views clearly and fully ; we are imperfectly 
acquainted with their language, and with the condition 
of things when they wrote ; and our own minds are very 
imperfect, and may not see clearly what is, in reality, dis- 
tinct and well expressed. 

These remarks will probably appear very shocking to 
"orthodox" readers; but I am greatly mistaken if they 



19 



really ascribe to the Epistles more truth, or more impor- 
tance, than 1 do, or than is generally done by the New 
Church. Take from the Epistles the few things which 
seem to me to be incorrect, and I place the remainder 
on as high ground generally, as Calvinists do ; and some 
parts, especially all the quotations from the Word of the 
Old Testament and from the words of the Lord while in 
the world, I place on infinitely higher ground. Calvin- 
ists and all other sects of the Old Church give to the 
Epistles, and to the Bible generajjy, only one sense or 
meaning, which is the literal grammatical meaning. As 
a guide to the present " orthodox" view of this subject, 
I have now in mind Professor Stuart's articles on the 
Inspiration of the Sacred Scripture, in some of the first 
numbers of the Biblical Repository, published at Andover ; 
and I may safely say, that he does not concede to any 
part of the Bible a higher degree of Inspiration — a 
greater fulness of true and important meaning, than Swe- 
denborg and the members of the New Church generally, 
ascribe to the Epistles and to all other books within 
the Bible. 

There is some difference between the ground of New 
Church faith in these writings, and the ground of Old 
Church faith. The New Church believe them because 
they can see that what they contain is true : the Old 
Church believe them more from confidence in the infalli- 
bility of the writers. But, on reading the most celebra- 
ted commentaries on these writings, I do not find even 
so full and spiritual a degree of truth ascribed to them, as 
I suppose they contain. Indeed, these commentaries, 
make them vapid, earthly, and sensual, compared with 
what I believe them to be ; and really seem to reject their 
true life and meaning, and thereby render their absolute 
authority of little value, 



20 

The books which the doctrine of the New Jerusalem 
calls the Word or Sacred Scripture, are the following : 
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 
Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, the two books of 
Kings, the Psalms, all the Prophets, the four Gospels, and 
the Revelation. These are Divine Books, and hence 
they contain infinite Wisdom and Goodness. They come 
down in their literal sense to the grossest condition of 
man in this world ; but they contain within them the 
wisdom and love which angels receive, and which con- 
stitute the light and life of heaven. If man obeys that 
order of truth which he can now see in the Word, his 
mind is capable of receiving a higher order. " To 
him that hath, shall more be given, and he shall have 
abundance ; " and he may advance continually in truth 
and goodness, and be perpetually supplied from the inex- 
haustible treasuries of the Word. 

The Sacred Scripture is not a superficial book, as 
many imagine. To those who use the means of under- 
standing it which the Lord has now mercifully provided, 
it teaches as much truth as they can bear without its 
injuring them ; and if they do the truth which they can 
now understand, their minds will be opened to behold more 
wondrous things in the Law. They will see new truths, 
and a higher meaning in all truths ; and thus they may 
advance forever. The means which the Lord has now 
provided for understanding the true spiritual and heaven- 
ly meaning of the Word, are to be found in the Writings 
of Emanuel Swedenborg. Standing at a distance and 
ridiculing his mode of interpretation, does not qualify 
any one for understanding it ; nor will it be understood 
by those who read his works to cavil, and oppose them, 
and with a fixed determination to reject them. Man's 
freedom is not to be taken away by the descent of the 



21 

New Jerusalem from heaven; but men are to be respon- 
sible for their manner of treating its light. And there 
are many hindrances to passing its gates, — the principal 
of which, are " whatsoever defileth or worketh abomina- 
tion, or maketh a lie." 

Another reference that is made in the " Introduction" 
to this" Abstract of Doctrines is the following : 

" That the New Jerusalem Church is the crown of all 
churches, because it worships one visible God." 

I know not what the readers of this pamphlet suppose 
the New Church mean by a visible God ; but it is certain 
that a very false idea may naturally be received from the 
expression, and that the pamphlet does not guard against 
such false idea. 

If the reader will recollect that the New Church be- 
lieve that the Lord Jesus Christ is the One God, he will 
observe that the mind can form a distinct, determinate 
idea of Him. In believing Him to be God, our thoughts 
have a distinct object to rest upon ; the eye of the soul 
can see this object : it is visible to the mind. 

But when you try to think of a God who is not in a 
human form, and has no form or organization, the mind 
cannot see him ; the thoughts have no object to rest upon ; 
the eye of the soul looks at vacancy, and sees nothing, 
It is like looking with the natural eyes into the air, where 
there is no object in a visible form. 

Believing the Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine Human- 
ity or Glorious Body to be the true God, the New Church 
does therefore believe in and worship one God who is 
visible to the mind. The Old Church generally believe 
in a God who is without any form or body, or organiza- 
tion. When the mind is directed towards him it rests on 
no object ; it can have no determinate idea of him. Now, 
this seems to me too quite nearly allied to atheism. J 



22 



can conceive of no belief in a God as an intelligent being 
■ — as a being who possesses attributes analogous to the 
human will and understanding, and hence wills or decrees, 
and knows, provides, and operates, without thinking of a 
personal being. An impersonal God seems to me to be 
nothing but a mere imaginary entity — a mere somewhat 
— an indeterminate ideality. And I can form no concep- 
tion of a man's believing in and loving a being, of whom 
he does not allow himself to form any determinate idea. 

We read in the first chapter of the epistle to the He- 
brews — " When he bringeth in the First Begotten into 
the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship 
Him." And again — " Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 
O God, is forever and ever." This shows that the Lord 
Jesus Christ sitteth on the throne ; and we know that He 
is the Judge of all and the Redeemer of all, — He sit- 
teth on the throne and is the Lamb. If we look at 
the Revelation, we shall find there also, that the angels of 
God worship Him — yea, all that are in heaven. 

Now every one thinks of the Lord Jesus Christ as in 
a human form, and thus as visible : and if He has not 
hitherto been worshipped in the churches on earth, and if 
all the angels of heaven do worship Him, is it not conceiv- 
able that the New Jerusalem, by adopting this heavenly 
worship, will be brought into closer similitude and associa- 
tion with the angels, and become highly exalted in heav- 
enly life, and be in reality the crown of all churches, be- 
cause it worships one visible God 1 

The next article in this pamphlet, consisting of a little 
more than two pages, is composed of quotations from the 
writings of Swedenborg, showing the expediency and 
necessity for a complete separation of the members of the 
New Church from the Old Church. These reasons are, 
of course, such as they should be, except that they can 



23 



serve as no reasons at all to those who do not belong to 
the New Church nor receive its doctrines, and cannot be 
understood and appreciated except by those who know 
and receive these truths : to those who do, and who 
may read this pamphlet, they are recommended for se- 
rious consideration. 

I think it allowable also to add one reason which Swe- 
denborg has not distinctly expressed, although I think it 
is involved in those which he has given. In giving this 
reason, however, I wish it to be distinctly understood 
that I speak as an individual, and not in the name of the 
New Church. 

It is very common for the neighbors and former associ- 
ates of members of the New Church, to complain that 
these members are accustomed to separate themselves, 
and keep at a distance from those who are devoted to the 
Old Church, and from those who are immersed in the 
love and pleasures of the world. I suppose this charge 
has some truth in it, and I wish it was more literally 
true. 

When members of the New Church associate with 
those of the Old, they are usually the minority ; the 
members of the Old understand not the principles and 
feelings of those of the New ; no disposition is ever man- 
ifested to meet the members of the New Church on their 
own ground, and ignorance of their principles prevents it. 
For these reasons, whenever the usual social intercourse 
which prevails in the world is cultivated by a member of 
the New Church, he must of necessity meet the Old 
Church and the world on their own ground ; and if there 
be an essential difference between his principles and 
theirs, he must leave his own and go to theirs, so far as 
he places himself on an equality with them, and enters in- 
to the common forms and spirit of intercourse with them. 



24 



This, however, is not the case when a member of the 
the New Church is invited to intercourse with the Old, or 
with the world generally, under such circumstances as 
give him an opportunity to speak and act freely accord- 
ing to his principles, or allow him to limit his intercourse 
by the degree in which others can receive him in his true 
character. Then he may, in the social sense, be regarded 
as truly on an equality with them ; but that equality which 
is produced by his abandoning his own proper character 
and principles, and adopting theirs during the period of 
the intercourse is not true equality. He places himself 
on their ground, and is their slave. 

And this is the kind of intercourse with the Old 
Church and the world, for not holding which the New 
Church is censured. We are not blamed for neglecting so 
much to go among others in our true character, and man- 
ifesting New Church principles. Such association with 
them is not desired : if it were desired, and would really 
be agreeable to our neighbors, they would find members 
of the New Church sufficiently sociable. 

When members of the New Church do leave their own 
ground and their own peculiar principles, and fall in with 
the social sphere, or the religious sphere, of others, the 
common remarks which follow are to this effect : — 
" Why, I do not see that these New Church folks are 
different from others : they pretend to something new 
and very important, but when we get at them we do not find 
anything of importance." This is a sample of the most 
favorable remarks; but it is not uncommon that every 
word and action of such members of the New Church 
is made the subject of scrutiny, and of taunting gossip. 

Now, as it respects such members, I do not say that 
this treatment is too severe a punishment. If they go 
over to the principles, customs and style of others, how 



25 



can their true principles be seen at all ; and if they 
are judged, they must be judged from what they are at 
the time. 

And why should they go back to their former habits — 
the habits of those who are not believers in these doc- 
trines 1 Is there any good to be gained by it, or is the 
mind always thrown into a bad state ? And are not the 
principles of the New Church always made the subject 
of scandal by such concessions to those who reject them? 
If members of the New Church were fully actuated by 
love of doing good to those around them, I believe they 
would, as much as possible, limit their intercourse to 
what they could have in the full possession and open ex- 
pression of New Church principles. And if it be true, 
that old things must pass away, and all things must be 
created anew, within man and without him, is there not 
good reason for separating from the former things and 
suffering them to pass away, that the New Jerusalem may 
come down from God out of heaven. 

The receivers of the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem 
are regarded by the Old Church as only one of the nu- 
merous sects of the First Christian Church ; but the 
members of the New Church regard the doctrines which 
they receive, as a new dispensation of truth from heaven. 
They cannot, therefore, place any other doctrines on an 
equality with these, nor admit that a true Church can be 
formed by the belief and profession of any others. They 
do not doubt that some degree of good and truth may be 
received, and that persons may be saved, without know- 
ing even that the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem have 
been given ; and they can indulge a perfectly tolerant 
spirit towards all classes of religionists. Still, they can- 
not regard the Old Church and the world as holding the 
Doctrines of the true Christian religion ; and cannot 
3 



26 



with propriety recognise any communion of belief, ex- 
cept so far as the common false doctrines are rejected, 
and those of the New Church are received. 

It was to be expected that those who should receive 
the truths of the New Jerusalem, would fail, in some 
cases, of discriminating properly between the old things 
which are passing away, and those which the Lord is 
making anew. Thus we frequently discover some incon- 
sistency in the conduct of those who have embraced these 
doctrines. While the proper separation between old 
things and new has not taken place in their understand- 
ings and affections, it will not take place perfectly in their 
lives ; but so far as the new heavenly principles are estab- 
lished in the mind, the words and actions which pro- 
ceed will indicate a similar separation between truth and 
falsity, good and evil. It must continually become more 
manifest, that there can be no alliance or fellowship be- 
tween principles so opposite as those which belong to the 
perverted Church, and those which are now coming down 
from heaven, and that those who receive the latter can- 
not reasonably be expected to abandon them, or make 
any compromise, out of complaisance or respect to those 
who receive the former. 

We now pass to the main subject of Mr. Ellingwood's 
pamphlet, or that which its friends have chiefly relied 
upon to prove the evil tendency of Swedenborg's writings, 
and thus to arrest the progress of the New Church. It 
consists of about six and a half pages ; and is headed — 
" Extracts from Swedenborg's Pleasures of Insanity 
concerning Scortatory Love." Of this part of the 
pamphlet the author of the " Introduction " says many 
things, of which the following from the fourth paragraph 
are a fair specimen. 



27 

"The second part [of the pamphlet] unfolds the views of 
Swedenborg as to personal purity. It consists of a series of 
extracts from his Treatise on Scortatory Love ; the last of his 
treatises put into the hands of the young disciple. Most of 
those, who read these Extracts, will be ready to say that they 
are not genuine ; that no man could dare to recommend, under 
the sanction of his name, such horrible impurity to mankind. 
Yet the reader is assured, that the extracts are taken, word 
for word, from the Treatise above mentioned ; and, if he will 
procure that treatise, he will find in it much more of the 
same gross and monstrous nature. To publish even this, is 
such an offence against delicacy, as nothing but the necessity 
of the case, and a sincere desire to expose the impurity of 
this dreadful system of morals, can justify." 

The three last questions, at the end of the pamphlet, 
are the following : 

"Can any man in the possession of his senses believe 
that Jehovah, in whose sight heaven is unclean, inspired 
Emanuel Swedenborg to write the monstrous impurity found 
in the preceding pages ? 

"Does that Jesus, who said to his disciples, 'But I say 
unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after 
her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart,' 
approve of writings which teach the lawfulness of keeping 
a mistress ? 

" Will parents embrace the tenets of a man who enumerates 
the conscientious causes of keeping a mistress ? Will they pro- 
cure such a book for the perusal of their sons and their 
daughters ? a book fit for no society but that of prostitutes, 
for no place but that house which is 'the Way to Hell, 
going down to the chambers of death.' " 

The writer speaks of the " Treatise on Scortatory 
Love," as though it were a distinct work of Swedenborg ; 
whereas it is only the latter part of a work which has the 
following title ; " The Delights of Wisdom concerning 
Conjugial Love : After which follow the Pleasures of In- 
sanity concerning Scortatory Love." 

Of the first part of this book, which treats of Conju- 
gial Love, and which comprises four fifths of the whole, 
the authors of Mr. Ellingwood's pamphlet have said noth- 



28 

ing. Their obvious intention was to deter their readers 
from examining it, by ascribing so horrible a character to 
the latter part. They should have said at least, that the 
first part " unfolds Swedenhorg's vieios of personal puri- 
ty ; " but so strangely upside down was their way turned in 
composing this pamphlet, that they have said it respecting 
their Extracts from the part concerning Scortatory Love. 

What do these writers mean by " this dreadful system 
of morals," spoken of in the passage which J last quoted 
from the ''Introduction ? " I suppose they refer to what 
they call a " Treatise on Scortatory Love," as containing 
this system of morals. Possibly they refer to the system 
as contained in all the works of Swedenborg. Be their 
meaning one or the other ^ they present their extracts as 
fairly representing the moral character of New Church 
principles. 

I do not feel authorized to speak of this act of injus- 
tice on the part of the compilers of Mr. Elling wood's 
pamphlet, in such terms of reprobation as I suppose it 
really merits. Mr. Ellingwood, at least, had the whole 
book before him ; and thus had the means of doing just- 
ly. But it is painful to censure even ordinary acts of in- 
justice and malignity, where the censure of the act will 
be regarded as personal censure ; and I cannot truly 
characterize this act, without departing from that moder- 
ation which I wish to manifest even towards the worst of 
men. A simple u nay, nay" is, however, sufficient for 
those who desire the truth, and hate falsity. I shall 
therefore make a short statement of facts, and leave the 
intelligent and honest reader to judge righteous judg- 
ment. 

The book from which these Extracts are made, is 
commonly called Swedenborg's work or treatise on Con- 
jugial Love, Its whole purpose is to promote this love as 



29 



an essential principle of the Church ; and 410 pages of 
the book treat specifically of this love. The edition from 
which the Extracts are made is the most common in this 
country; and it consists of 651pages 8vo. A new and more 
correct translation is nearly completed and stereotyped, and 
will soon be published at No. 1 1 School Street, Boston ; 
and it may be obtained through any bookseller in the Unit- 
ed States. The old edition was first published in Amer- 
ica at Philadelphia, in 1796. It has always been expos- 
ed for open sale, and has been loaned freely. The reader 
will perceive that its sale must have been considerable, to 
render a new edition necessary : and that the demand for 
it must still be considerable, to authorize the expense 
of a new and stereotyped translation. Thus destitute of 
truth is the representation of the pamphlet, that this book 
is circulated secretly, and cautiously, and with artifice. 
After writing the preceding part of these Remarks, 
and nearly all of what follows in reply to Mr. Ellingwood's 
pamphlet, except what I have marked with quotations, I 
received Mr. Hindmarsh's Vindication of the Character 
and Writings of Swedenborg. This book was published 
in England in 1822; and it contains a reply to all, or 
nearly all, the objections to the writings of Swedenborg, 
which I have noticed, or shall notice in these Remarks, 
Mr. Hindmarsh has long been distinguished for his open 
profession and defence of the Doctrines of the New Je- 
rusalem ; for his frank, explicit, and intelligible manner 
of stating them ; for his various and extensive know- 
ledge ; and for the excellence of his character. He is 
now, if living, very far advanced in age ; and he has 
been too long and too well known, to leave any room to 
doubt his intelligence or his fairness. 

Mr. Hindmarsh has been so well acquainted with the 
societies of the New Church in England, from their first 
3* 



30 

establishment, that his opinion in relation to the design 
and meaning of Swedenborg's treatise which we are now 
considering, should be regarded as the common opinion 
in the English societies of the New Church. 1 have 
seen the remarks of other English brethren, and am ex- 
tensively and intimately acquainted with those of my 
brethren in America, and I say seriously, and after much 
consideration, that I never saw nor heard of a believer 
in Swedenborg's writings, who gave a different explana- 
tion of Swedenborg's meaning concerning Scortatory 
Love from what the reader will find presented by Mr. 
Hindmarsh and myself. I prefer copying a part of his 
remarks, and mixing them almost at random with my 
own, that every one who has any fairness of judgment, 
may be convinced, that those who receive the works of 
Swedenborg receive no such meaning as Mr. Ellingwood 
and his friends ascribe to them. Those who reject them, 
are not supposed to be in danger of being corrupted by 
them. 

I might copy my reply wholly from Mr. Hindmarsh's 
Vindication ; and I should think the reply correct and 
sufficient for the candid reader ; but I prefer giving also 
what I have written, that by different forms of illustrat- 
ing the same principles, and by exhibiting the agreement 
of different minds on this subject, — and those too who 
are known and responsible — I may settle the question 
as to the validity of the testimony of this anonymous 
pamphlet. 

The following paragraphs are from the Vindication, p. 
183. A great part of the book is an answer to allega-* 
tions made by the Rev. J. G. Pike, a Baptist minister of 
Derby. 

" Mr Pike charges that author [Swedenborg] with giving 
countenance to fornication, concubinage, and adultery, mere- 



31 

ly because he discriminates between the relative degrees of evil, 
and shows that one kind of vice is less grievous and destruc- 
tive of happiness than another. This, after all that Mr. Pike 
has said on the subject, and after all his partial and unfair 
quotations from the treatise on Conjugial Love, is precisely 
the state of the question." 

And this is precisely the state of the question between 
me and the authors and friends of Mr. Elling wood's 
pamphlet ; for, although it does not directly accuse Swe- 
denborg with countenancing each of these crimes, yet by 
omitting to concede that there is any difference in the 
degrees of wickedness in such crimes, and by passing the 
general censure of — horrible impurity — and represent- 
ing the book as fit for no society but that of prostitutes, 
for no place but that house which is the Way to Hell, — 
and also by other similar remarks, the reader is una- 
voidably led to the conclusion that, in the opinion of the 
compilers of this pamphlet, this book on Conjugial Love 
does directly tend to countenance and encourage all 
the various forms of unlawful sexual intercourse. 
Again, Mr. Hindmarsh says, — 

" The Baron lays it down as the very first principle of his 
work, that love truly conjugial, or the chaste love subsisting 
between one husband and one wife, originates in the marriage 
or conjunction of good and truth ; that it corresponds with the 
marriage of the Lord and his church ; that it is therefore celes- 
tial, spiritual, holy, pure, and clean, in a pre-eminent degree ; 
that it is the foundation of every species of heavenly love and 
affection, with all their innumerable felicities; but that it is 
imparted to no others than those who approach the Lord, and 
live according to his divine precepts ; consequently that every 
deviation from true conjugial love is to be regarded as a 
departure from the most perfect state of Christian life, either 
into evil of a relatively venial character, such as the apostle 
John calls ' a sin not unto death,'' or into evil of a more 
gross and destructive nature, such as the same apostle 
emphatically pronounces to be c asin unto death? 1 John v. 
16, 17. But as it is not to be expected, that all men should 
arrive at the high state of purity above spoken of, and it would 
be the height of cruelty and injustice to condemn with an 
indiscriminate judgment those, who, by reason of the frailties 



32 



of their nature, either cannot or do not come up to the stan- 
dard here pointed out, the author proceeds to show in what 
cases the conjugial principle may yet be preserved to a cer- 
tain degree. This leads him to consider the nature of per- 
mission, and how far the divine mercy tolerates some evils, 
with a view to prevent others of greater enormity, according 
to these words of our Lord, addressed to the Jews, ' Moses, 
because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put 
away your wives ; but from the beginning it was not so," 
Matt. xix. 8 ; from which it appears, that by reason of the 
adulterous propensity of the Jews, or the hardness of their 
hearts, a law accommodated to their state of evil, was per- 
mitted, in the place of one more pure and perfect, which 
doubtless they would have profaned. It is therefore to be 
well observed, that Emanuel Swedenborg no where recom- 
mends or approves either of fornication or of concubinage, still 
less of adultery in any of its forms or degrees ; but, on the 
contrary, most strenuously advocates the chastity, purity, and 
sanctity of the marriage state." 

On pages 31 and 32, Mr. Hindmarsh remarks as follows : 

" The next charge against Baron Swedenborg is, that with 
him ' fornication is allowable, and adultery, in many cases, 
no crime.' This is a most unjust charge, and can only be 
made by those, who either wilfully or ignorantly misrepresent 
the author. So far from countenancing and encouraging the 
evils of fornication and adultery, he expressly condemns them ; 
but at the same time, with that wisdom and discrimination to 
which his opponent appears to be an entire stranger, he dis- 
tinguishes between the several kinds and degrees of evil in 
both the one and the other. On the subject of fornication he 
writes thus : ' There are degrees of the qualities of evil, as 
there are degrees of the qualities of good j wherefore every 
evil is lighter and heavier, as every good is better and more 
excellent. The case is the same with fornication, which, as 
being a lust, and a lust of the natural man not yet purified, 
is an evil : but inasmuch as every man is capable of being 
purified, therefore so far as it accedes or approaches to a 
purified state, so far that evil becomes a lighter evil, for so 
far it is wiped away ; but so far as it accedes or approaches 
to the love of adultery, so far it is more grievous.' Conjugial 
Love, 452. He afterwards, n. 453, explains what he means 
by the lust of fornication acceding or approaching to adultery : 
' All fornicators (says he) look to adultery, who do not believe 
adulteries to be sins, and who entertain like thoughts of mar- 
riages and of adulteries, only with the discrimination of what is 
allowed and what is disallowed' by the laws of human society . 



33 



" On the subject of adultery perhaps no author has ever 
written so amply, so ably, and so expressly in condemnation 
of that vice, as the Baron has done throughout his voluminous 
works, particularly in his treatise on Heaven and Hell, 384; 
Conjugial Love, 464, 500 ; Jlrcana Cadestia, 8904 ; where he 
observes, that ' whenever man commits adultery, and feels a 
delight therein, heqven is closed against Mm.' But he also 
discriminates between the degrees of guilt even in acts of 
adultery, according to the circumstances attending them, 
justly remarking, that some cases are less aggravated than 
others : and for this he is shamefully accused of encouraging 
vice, and giving his sanction to adultery, by the Rev. J. G. 
Pike, of Derby, a professed minister of the gospel of Jesus 
Christ ; by Mr. Pike, who knows no difference in guilt be- 
tween simple fornication and the infernal lust of adultery, but 
confounding together all the shades of crime, the lightest 
with the most grievous and pernicious, pronounces the same 
judgment on every kind and degree of evil! To reason with 
such a man is obviously a waste of time, which might be em- 
ployed to a much better purpose. If he cannot of himself 
comprehend so plain a doctrine as that of the equitable dis- 
tribution of rewards and punishments, according to the degree 
of merit or demerit in human actions, no arguments will avail 
so as to produce a conviction of the truth and justice of our 
Lord's words in the Gospel, where he saith, 'That servant, 
who knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither 
did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of 
stripes, shall be beaten with few sti'ipes.' Luke xii. 47, 48. 
Let these observations suffice for the present, as we shall 
have occasion to return to this subject again in the course of 
the work." 

I shall now make such extracts from the treatise it- 
self which is so harshly condemned by Mr. Ellingwood's 
pamphlet, as seem to me to present Swedenborg's mean- 
ing in a fair light ; and, although there are multitudes of 
other passages in the book of similar character, I shall 
give those which are selected by Mr. Hindmarsh, in order 
to continue the proof that this reply fairly presents the 
views of the New Church. After giving these extracts 
I shall introduce the observations which I had prepared 
before seeing Mr. Hindmarsh's Vindication. 



34 



"Love, considered in itself, is nothing" else but a desire 
and consequent tendency to conjunction ; and conjugial love 
to conjunction into one ; for the male and female were so 
created, that from two they may become one man, or one 
flesh ; and when they become one, they are then, taken to- 
gether, man in his fulness. But without such conjunction 
they are two, and each is as a divided or half-man. Now 
whereas the above conjunctive principle lies inmostly con- 
cealed in all and singular the parts of the male, and in all 
and singular the parts of the female, and the same is true of 
the faculty and desire to be conjoined together into one, 
it follows, that the mutual and reciprocal love of the sex 
remaineth with men after death." Conj. Love, 37. 

" As few know the distinction between the love of the sex 
and conjugial love, it may be expedient briefly to point out 
this distinction. The love of the sex is a love directed to 
several, and contracted with several of the sex ; whereas 
conjugial love is only directed to one, and contracted with 
one of the sex. Moreover, love directed to several and con- 
tracted with several is a natural love, for it is common to man 
with beasts and birds, which are natural ; whereas conjugial 
love is a spiritual love, and peculiar and proper to men, be- 
cause men were created, and are therefore born to become 
spiritual ; wherefore so far as man becomes spiritual, so far he 
puts off the love of the sex, and puts on conjugial love." lb. 48. 

" But no others come into this love, and can be in it, except 
such as come to the Lord, and love the truths of the church, 
and practise its goods. The reason of this is, because 
monogamical marriages, which are of one husband with one 
wife, correspond to the marriage of the Lord and the church, 
and because such marriages originate in the marriage of 
good and truth. Hence it follows, that conjugial love with 
man is according to the state of the church with him." lb. 70. 

"Conjugial love is according to the state of the church, 
because it. is according to the state of wisdom with man, as a 
principle of life. It maybe asked, What is wisdom as a prin- 
ciple of life ? In a summary view, it is to shun evils, because 
they are hurtful to the soul, and hurtful to the public weal, 
and hurtful to the body. This is the wisdom to which con- 
jugial love binds itself; for it binds itself thereto by shunning 
the evil of adultery as the pest of the soul, of the public weal, 
and of the body ; and whereas this wisdom originates in 
spiritual things appertaining to the church, it follows, that 
conjugial love is according to the state of the church, because 
it is according to the state of wisdom with man." lb. 130. 

" The Christian conjugial principle alone is chaste. Chris- 
tians, in case they marry more wives than one, commit not 
only natural, but also spiritual adultery." lb. 142, 



35 



" The chastity of marriage exists by a total abdication of 
whoredoms from a principle of religion." lb. 147. 

" Chastity cannot be predicated of those, who abstain from 
adulteries only from various external reasons. Many believe, 
that the mere abstaining from adulteries in the body is chas- 
tity, when yet this is not chastity, unless at the same time 
there be an abstaining in spirit. The spirit of man, by which 
is here meant his mind as to affections and thoughts, consti- 
tutes the chaste and unchaste ; for hence the chaste or un- 
chaste hath place in the body, the body being in all cases such 
as the mind or spirit is. Hence it follows, that they who 
abstain from adulteries in the body, and not by influence from 
the spirit, are not chaste ; neither are they chaste, who ab- 
stain from them in spirit as influenced from the body. There 
are many assignable causes, which make man desist from 
adulteries in body, and also in spirit as influenced from the 
body ; but still, he who doth not desist from them in body as 
influenced from the spirit, is unchaste ; for the Lord saith, 
' that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath 
committed adultery with her already in his heart" Matt. v. 28. 
It is impossible to reckon up all the causes of abstinence from 
adulteries in the body only ; for they are various according 
to states of marriage, and also according to states of the body ; 
for there are some persons, who abstain from them out of 
fear of the civil law and its penalties ; some out of fear of the 
loss of reputation, and thereby of honor; some out of fear of 
diseases, which may be thereby contracted; some out of fear 
of domestic quarrels on the part of the wife, whereby the quiet 
of their lives may be disturbed; some out of fear of revenge 
on the part of the husband or relations ; some out of fear of 
chastisement from the servants of the family ; some also ab- 
stain from motives of poverty, or of avarice, or of imbecility 
arising either from disease, or from abuse, or from age, or 
from impotence. Of these there are some also, who, because 
they cannot or dare not commit adultery in the body, on this 
account commit adulteries in the spirit; and thus they speak 
morally against adulteries, and in favor of marriages. . But 
such persons, unless in spirit they call adulteries accursed, and 
this from a religious principle in the spirit, are still adulterers ; 
for although they do not commit them in body, yet in spirit 
they do commit them; wherefore after death, when they be- 
come spirits, they speak openly in favor of them. From these 
considerations it is manifest, that even a wicked person may 
shun adulteries as hurtful, but that none except a Christian, 
can shun them as sins." lb. 153. 

*" A state of marriage is to be preferred to a state of celiba- 
cy ; the reason of which is, because it is a state ordained from 



36 



creation ; because it originates in the marriage of good and 
truth; because its correspondence is with the marriage of the 
Lord and the church; because the church and conjugial love 
are constant companions ; because its use is more excellent 
than the uses of all things of creation, for thence according 
to order is derived the propagation of the human race, and 
also of the angelic heaven, this latter being formed from the 
human race. Add to these considerations, that marriage is 
the fulness of man, for by it man becomes a full man. All 
these things are wanting in celibacy." lb. 156. 

" The delights of conjugial love ascend to the highest 
heaven, and join themselves in the way thither and there 
with the delights of all heavenly loves, and thereby enter into 
their happiness, which endures for ever ; the reason is, be- 
because the delights of that love are also the delights of wis- 
dom. But the pleasures of scortatory love descend even to 
the lowest hell, and join themselves in the way thither and 
there with the pleasures of all infernal loves, and thereby 
enter into their unhappiness, which consists in the wretch- 
edness of all Heart-delights ; the reason is, because the 
pleasures of that love are also the pleasures of insanity." 
16.294. 

" Scortatory love is opposite to conjugial love, as hell is 
opposite to heaven." lb. 429. 

"That the lust of fornication is not the lust of adultery, 
every one sees clearly from common perception. What law 
and what judge imputes a like criminality to the fornicator as 
to the adulterer? The reason why this is seen from common 
perception is, because fornication is not opposite to conju- 
gial love, as adultery is. In fornication conjugial love may lie 
stored up within, as what is spiritual may lie stored up in 
what is natural ; but the libidinous and obscene love of adul- 
tery is opposite to conjugial love, and destructive thereof.' r 
lb. 449. 

"There are two kinds of concubinage, which differ exceed- 
ingly from each other, the one conjointly with a wife, the other 
apart from a wife. The former is illicit to Christians, and de- 
testable ; the latter, when engaged in from causes legitimate, 
just, and truly conscientious, is not so." lb. 483, 464, 467, 

" Among the legitimate causes for separation the Baron 
ranks vitiated states of the body ; but by these he does not 
mean ' accidental diseases, which befal one or other conjugial 
partner within the time of their marriage, and pass away, but 
inherent diseases, which do not pass away." lb. 252. 

" There are four degrees of adulteries, which, from the 
nature of circumstances and contingencies, are to be reputed 
milder or more grievous. A man, from rational conviction, 



37 



according to circumstances and contingencies, may absolve a 
person whom a judge, whilst he sits in judgment, cannot ab- 
solve from the law ; and also a judge may absolve a person, 
who after death is condemned. The reason is, because a 
judge gives sentence according to actions done ; whereas 
after death every one is judged according to the intentions of 
the will and thence of the understanding, and according to the 
confirmations of the understanding and thence of the will. 
These intentions and confirmations a judge doth not see ; 
nevertheless each judgment is just, one for the sake of the 
good of civil society, the other for the sake of the good of 
heavenly society." lb. 485. 

"Various circumstances exist in the world, which mitigate 
and excuse crimes, also which aggravate and charge them 
upon the perpetrator: nevertheless imputations after death 
take place, not according to circumstances which are external 
of the deed, but according to internal circumstances of the 
mind ; and these are viewed according to the state of the 
church with every one ; as for example, a man, who hath no 
fear of God, nor love of his neighbor, and consequently no 
reverence for any sanctity of the church, after death becomes 
guilty of all crimes which he did in the body, nor is remem- 
brance had of his good actions, inasmuch as his heart, from 
whence as from a fountain those things flowed, was averse 
from heaven, and turned to hell. In order that this may be 
understood, I will relate an arcanum : Heaven is distinguished 
into innumerable societies, in like manner hell from an oppo- 
site principle ; and the mind of every man, according to his 
will and consequent understanding, actually dwells in one 
society, and intends and thinks in like manner with those 
who compose the society. If the mind be in any society of 
heaven, it then intends and thinks in like manner with those 
who compose that society ; if it be in any society of hell, it 
intends and thinks in like manner with those who are' in the 
same society ; but so long as man lives in the world, so long 
he migrates from one society to another,, according to the 
changes of the affections of his will and of the consequent 
thoughts of his mind ; but after death his peregrinations are 
collected, and from the collection thereof into one a place is 
allotted him, in hell if he be evil, in heaven if he be good. 
Now whereas all in hell are influenced by a will of evil, all 
are viewed there from that will ; and whereas all in heaven are 
influenced by a will of good, all are viewed there from that 
will : wherefore imputations after death have place according 
to the quality of every one's will and understanding. The 
case is similar with scortations, whether they be fornications, 
or pellicacies, or concubinages, or adulteries, inasmuch as 
4 



38 

those things are imputed to every one, not according to the 
deeds themselves, but according to the state of the mind in 
the deeds ; for deeds follow the body into the tomb, whereas 
the mind rises again." lb. 530. 

The observations on this subject which I had prepared, 
may seem to be unnecessary after so full a refutation of 
the false and mischievous representations of Mr. Elling- 
wood's pamphlet. If the reader so judges, he is at liberty 
to pass over them. 

By scortatory love Swedenborg says is meant the "op- 
posite of conjugial love, viz. the love of adultery." This 
is a point of the utmost consequence to be attended to in 
forming a right judgment of this part of the book. Not 
only in this, but in all his writings, he describes conjugial 
love as good, and scortatory love as evil ; the former as 
agreeable to the divine precepts — the latter as opposite 
to them ; the former as truly a heavenly love, flowing 
into the soul from heaven, — the latter as truly an in- 
fernal love, flowing into the soul from hell. 

Of good affections which are modifications of conju- 
gial love, there are many varieties. They are not all 
equally pure and elevated, but are good in different de- 
grees. Still they are all good, and do result from, and 
constitute members of, that new heavenly kingdom, which 
the Lord forms in the minds of those who are being re- 
generated. The same may be said of the quality of 
those actions which flow from these affections. 

Of evil affections which are modifications of scortatory 
love, there are also many varieties. They are not all 
equally impure and base, but are evil in different degrees. 
Still they are all evil, and do result from, and constitute 
members of, that old hellish kingdom which is hereditary 
in every man, and is in conjunction with hell, and does 
receive the inverted life of hell, and is confirmed and 
enlarged by man's own voluntary evils. 



39 

Conjugial love, with those good affections, principles, 
and practices which flow from it, are treated of in the 
first part of the Treatise of which we are speaking ; and 
scortatory love, with those evil affections, principles, and 
practices which flow from it, are treated of in the second 
part. Through the whole book the opposition of these 
loves to each other is most distinctly manifested. They 
are made precisely as distinct, and placed in the same op- 
position, as heaven and hell. 

Now, the pamphlet which I am reviewing gives no 
idea of these facts. The compiler does not even men- 
tion that a part of the work treats of pure conjugial love, 
nor that the part which treats of scortatory love is not 
the whole book. He condemns this part in the harsh 
language which I have quoted, and yet speaks of it as 
Swedenborg's " system of morals," and as " unfolding 
his views of personal purity." He wholly omits to show 
the opposition between scortatory love and the love which 
Swedenborg calls pure and heavenly, except so far as this 
is indirectly mentioned in the extracts from Swedenborg. 
All that the pamphlet contains on this subject is directly 
calculated to give the impression, that Swedenborg al- 
lows and encourages the various kinds of impure love. 
Such, I am certain, is the general impression made by 
the pamphlet ; and the common remarks made by those 
who have read it, are the proof of this fact. Every rea- 
der must see that I state this matter fairly ; for this part 
of the pamphlet would be a mere nullity, unless we sup- 
pose it was designed to make this impression, and that 
those who circulate it to oppose the New Church, suppose 
this to be its design and* true meaning. 

To give some idea of the manner in which the New 
Church discriminate between the degrees of evil in dif- 
ferent evil affections and actions, a few observations will 
here be offered. 



40 



Considering men in their fallen state, it is obvious that 
none are good. They have all corrupted their way. 
There is none good, but One. We call a man good who 
resists his evil affections, and lives according to the re- 
vealed truth or commandments of the Lord. Thus, we 
call, or should call, man good, only in proportion as he 
does not his own will, but the will of the Lord ; and this 
is properly to call the Lord good and not man. 

Human affections and actions are regarded as more or 
less sinful, in proportion as they are more or less opposed 
to revealed truth or the commandments, and also accord- 
ing to the purity and elevation of the truths to which 
they are opposed. In judging of sin in the affections 
and actions of men, we are therefore led to inquire what 
truth they have ; and this inquiry involves an admission 
that truth is accommodated to the different conditions of 
men ; and that the same measure of virtue, or exemption 
from vice, is not, in a legal sense, required of all. This 
at once brings us to consider the manner in which truth 
is thus accommodated, and the nature of Divine permis- 
sions. 

Truth, in itself, is immutable, as its Source or Foun- 
tain is immutable ; but as it descends into the minds of 
angels, men, and devils, it is modified by them, and ac- 
commodated to their states of reception. 

Taking men as they are, in all countries and in all or- 
ders of society, and calling them all hereditarily and ac- 
tually evil, and yet evil in different degrees, we see that 
Divine truth is accommodated to their various conditions 
or degrees of evil, and is adapted as it descends to man 
in each degree of evil, to raise him from that to a higher 
state. In other words : truth descends to men in their 
various degrees of separation or spiritual distance from 
the Lord, and elevates them, or redeems, and brings them 



41 

back from greater degrees to less degrees of separation ; 
and thus it redeems them as fast and as far as they can 
be redeemed in freedom, and saves them from sin, and 
conjoins them with heaven and the Lord. 

Truth, therefore, is not the same in all the degrees to 
which it descends : it is accommodated to the states of 
those to whom it is sent. But when men or devils do 
not convert truth into falsity, its message is essentially 
the same to men of all characters and conditions ; — it 
says to all — Repent : put aivay the evil of your doings 
from before Mine eyes : And it says to all — If any man 
will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his 
cross and follow Me. 

To some persons it seems improper to speak of the 
modification of truth, and its accommodation to persons 
in different states of mind ; but the propriety of it may 
perhaps be seen by comparing it with the modifications 
and accommodation of natural light, as it descends from 
the sun to the various objects on which it falls. It may 
be still more obvious from the circumstance, that the 
light is seen more or less fully, according tothe state of 
the eye that receives it ; and thus that there is to each 
one, more or less light, according to the state and quality 
of the eyes which see it. This explanation is designed 
for those who will be disposed to think that all truth is 
alike, and to say — Truth is truth ; — if a thing is true, 
haw can another thing be more true ? 

As truth descends and is accommodated to men's 
minds, it addresses some in the form of parables, that 
seeing they may see and not perceive. Truth is thus 
presented to those who are in a state so confirmed 
in evil, as to be incapable of reformation, and who 
would only be made more desperately wicked and miser- 
able, if they saw the truth in its real meaning, because 
4* 



42 

they would profane it. As it descends to their minds, it 
is therefore mercifully permitted to appear dark and un- 
intelligible. 

To those who are in a less degree of evil, or are less 
confirmed in evil, truth is accommodated so as to teach 
just so much as they are in a state to comprehend and 
improve. It teaches them to repent, and how to repent. 
It does not at first, disclose to them the highest degrees 
of purity, nor any degree distinctly except that which is 
the next above their own state. It teaches them to fear 
becoming more evil, and how to avoid it; and it also 
shows them plainly what is the next less evil state, and 
how to shun their present measure of evil and advance to 
that state. — I do not mean to be understood strictly as 
saying that this is the exact order in which men are en- 
lightened. Some who are very evil, do understand truth 
which they will not improve, and hence are made worse 
by it. But the Divine Providence guards evil men against 
being thus enlightened, so far as it can guard them and 
still allow their free agency. 

Truth as it thus comes down to the conditions of men 
in various degrees and kinds of evil, does, at first, exact 
greater degrees of holiness or purity of some, than of 
others ; but its end with each one is the same. It teaches 
each one to rise ; and having taught him and enabled 
him to rise one degree, it teaches and enables him to rise 
another degree. It indulges less evils to prevent greater ; 
and teaches man continually that, although he can never 
become absolutely good, yet he can shun evils, and re- 
ceive good from the Lord. And by shunning the evil 
actions to which his present evil affections' lead, he will 
continually advance in the work of repentance and re- 
formation, provided he shuns them because they are sins 
against God. 



43 



To the Jews many laws and permissions were given, 
not because they were right or orderly in themselves, 
but because the state of Jewish minds required them. 
They could not receive purer truths or precepts of life. 
Because of the hardness of their hearts Moses wrote 
those things. Such were the laws respecting sacrifices, 
and some of the laws respecting retaliation. Such also 
were the permissions concerning concubinage, and put- 
ting away their wives for slight causes. See Matt. xix. 
3—12. 

Without proceeding farther with this view, I say that 
Divine truth, in that degree of it which descended to the 
Jewish state of character, required a less degree of purity 
than it requires of angels, or of any men who are ele- 
vated in any degree above Jewish character. Or if this 
language be regarded as objectionable, I will give the 
idea a more extended and definite form : — 

Although Divine truth is in itself immutable, and re- 
quires that all men should be perfect even as their Father 
who is in heaven is perfect, yet in descending to men of 
various degrees of grossness and impurity, it assumes 
such forms and appearances as are accommodated to 
their condition ; and in its state of accommodation to 
the condition of every person, it requires of him less, for 
the time, than it requires of any one who is in a higher 
state. But one degree of obedience to it only prepares 
for a higher and purer form of it, and corresponding obe- 
dience ; and the end of this course of drawing near to 
the Lord, is that perfection towards which the children of 
God will advance forever. After this manner truth was 
accommodated to the Jews ; and because of the hardness 
of their hearts, it gave them many permissions and indul- 
gences, and even requirements, which were not agreea- 
ble to the Divine will, or to Divine truth in its purity. 



44 



This statement may, perhaps, be generally admitted to 
be true ; but the grand question concerning which many 
persons will differ from Swedenborg, is — whether any 
such accommodation is allowed by the Christian dispen- 
sation. 

In relation to this, I think the Lord's own instructions 
were, according to His own words, thus accommodated. 
As examples, — He spake to them in parables, and gives 
the reason for it, Luke viii. 10, and other places : Also 
in the text already referred to, Matt. xix. after explaining 
that the law authorizing the Jews to put away their wives, 
was only an accommodation to the hardness of their 
hearts, and hence not agreeable to the order of pure 
truth, — and after the Pharisees had said that if it were 
not lawful to put away wives except for fornication, it 
was better not to marry, He answered that the truth 
which He had then taught was not accommodated to the 
condition of all, and that all could not receive it : — : " All 
men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is 
given : He that is able to receive it, let him receive it" 

This last example appears to me so directly in point, 
and to meet the present subject so fully, that no other 
examples seem necessary. But as the subject is of great 
importance, I think proper to dwell upon it a little longer. 
That the Apostles regarded truth as thus accommodated 
to the various states of men, is everywhere obvious in 
their Acts and Epistles. As a case in point I shall refer 
to Paul's opinion of marriage and celibacy. It has been 
a very common opinion in the Christian church, that he 
regarded celibacy as the more holy state. I suppose that 
he did so regard it ; but this is not essential to the use 
I have to make of his remarks and advice in I Corinthi- 
ans, vii. Whether he had reference only to the state of 
things then existing, or generally to all states, he did rep- 



45 



resent it as better not to marry, because an unmarried 
person could, he thought, be more without carefulness, 
and could be more fully devoted to the service of the 
Lord. On this ground he recommended to men and wo- 
men to remain single, if they felt able ; but if they did 
not feel able, — " if they could not contain " — he ad- 
vised them to marry, because " it is better to marry, than 
to burn." Such is a sample of Paul's opinions respect- 
ing the accommodation of the Divine requirements to the 
different states of men. 

This principle is also involved in the remarks of John 
in his first Epistle, concerning sin. He defines sin to 
be, the transgression of the law ; and he then makes a 
distinction between some sins and others ; speaks of " sin 
that is unto death," and " sin that is not unto death ; " and 
teaches that those who commit the latter, are to be prayed 
for and assisted, that they may rise above it and put it away. 
Hundreds of similar examples might be cited, in which the 
Apostles acknowledged and acted upon this principle. 

The reader is desired to bear in mind, that all duty is 
revealed, pointed out, or commanded by truth. Noth- 
ing is a duty which is not thus revealed ; — and, as I 
have already stated, duty is revealed more or less fully — 
or more duty is revealed, according to the elevation of 
men's understandings and affections. And even when 
duty is made known to the mind by truth, more or less 
fulness and perfection of obedience is required by the 
Lord, according to the state of men's minds. He that is 
able to receive it, let him receive it. Thus the disciples 
of the Lord are in some degree excused from that watch- 
fulness and prayer which are necessary to avoid tempta- 
tions, because the flesh is iveak. Matt. xxvi. 41. 

The principle which I am illustrating is also taught in 
all those texts, which teach that the Divine requirements 



46 

are according to what men have, and not according to 
what they have not ; and the having which is here allud- 
ed to, implies not only knowing the truth, but such a 
state of reception of the truth, as gives ability to obey it. 

Men of every religious sect act on this principle, sp 
far as they follow the Lord, in judging of their fellow men. 
Who is there, who is regarded as judging fairly, that does 
not make allowance and excuses for his neighbor on ac- 
count of his strong hereditary propensities to certain 
evils, — his bad education, — his long habits of sin be- 
fore he commenced reformation, — the short time that he 
has had for reformation since he commenced it — and on 
many other consideratians. And where is the wrong of 
saying to our neighbor, " My friend, you are greatly im- 
mersed in evil, and are sadly enslaved by it. You can, 
however, do better than you are accustomed to do : You 
can avoid the present gross degree of your evil, and do 
thus and so to mitigate it, and elevate yourself above your 
present state, even if you cannot avoid the whole evil ; 
and by such improvement you will be prepared for still 
greater reformation, and will avoid sinking lower : Do 
as as well you can ; and if you cannot be perfect, or 
rise at once even to the purity of the best of men, yet rise 
as much as you can, and keep on rising" 

I cannot venture to expect that this principle will not 
be controverted by those who believe in complete 
and instantaneous regeneration, or that evil is wholly 
removed from the soul when its outlets are forci- 
bly closed ; but if any man who voluntarily tries to reform 
his character by shunning evil as sin, or to lead his neigh- 
bor to such reformation, will look at his own efforts to 
this end, and the manner in which the Lord leads from 
one degree of reformation to another, he" will find that 
he practically admits this principle in its full extent, and 



47 



that he cannot take even one step in religious life with- 
out it. 

I now turn to the Extracts in Mr. Ellingwood's pamph- 
let concerning Scortatory Love. The reader will recol- 
lect, that at the end of these, one of the authors, (I know 
not which, ) calls the treatise from which he made the 
Extracts — " a book fit for no society but that of prosti- 
tutes, for no place but that house which is the Way to 
Hell, going down to the chambers of death." 

Now, strange as it may seem, this remark strikes me as 
giving much more nearly the true character and design of 
Swedenborg's Dissertation on Scortatory Love, than 
any other that these authors have made. Nay, it seems 
to me to be the only one in which they even blundered 
upon the truth in any degree. 

The work alluded to is fit, and was designed to be fit, for 
prostitutes, and for all fornicators and adulterers, whether 
they belong literally to houses of ill fame, or to the cham- 
bers of the respected, or the closets and conventicles of the 
self-righteous ; — and whether their sins be actual, or only 
in the heart. 

The author, however, probably meant to imply, that 
this work is fit to teach impure persons the way to hell ; 
whereas I suppose it is fit to teach the way from hell. So, 
even in this particular, I have not the pleasure of agree- 
ing with him. 

As I have already shown, the book first treats at great 
length of pure love between two of different sexes, whose 
minds are capable of being united into one. He speaks 
of the various degrees of this union, and the principles of 
duty applicable to them, All this relates to good love, — 
love that is to be recommended, encouraged, and cultivated. 

The last part of the book relates to what is opposite 
to this pure, heavenly love, viz. to evil love from hell. All 



48 



men and women have much of this love : it is hereditary. 
If the education of children be good, the virtuous hab- 
its and principles which they thus acquire, do greatly 
modify this love when it comes forth into exercise ; and 
if its evil tendencies are resisted when they are mani- 
fested, pure conjugial love is received from the Lord in 
place of this hereditary evil love. 

This hereditary evil love is stronger in some than in 
others ; and in proportion to the want of good education, 
and to the actual indulgence of this evil love after it 
springs forth, is the power which it acquires in the soul. 
Hence it exists in human minds in different forms of affec- 
tion, and in different degrees of affection or lust, and thus 
in different degrees of opposition to conjugial love. 

Swedenborg discriminates between these various kinds 
and degrees of scortatory love, and shows which are the 
most, and which are the least evil. He also discrimi- 
nates between the various kinds of evil acts or practices, 
which result from these various evil affections ; and he 
recommends that, if they cannot contain, they should do 
those which are less gross and injurious, rather than those 
which are most so. Still, he represents the whole as on 
the side of evil — as resulting from man's depravity — 
and as not to be recommended or indulged on account 
of any good there is in them. 

Some men, and indeed many, who have some good 
principles, and do make some sincere and successful efforts 
to shun evil as sin, find in themselves a sad mixture of 
evil principles and affections with their good ones ; and 
so bad is the case of many, that they cannot at once 
either put away or control all their evil affections, but 
when they would do good, evil is present with them. But 
whatever may be the evil affections and evil practices of 
such persons, they may all do better than they now do : 



49 

and if they know how to discriminate between the various 
kinds and degrees of evil, they can constantly recede from 
the present state of their affections and conduct, to what 
is less evil. If, in so doing, they act from a sincere desire to 
put away evil because it is sin against the Lord, and con- 
trary to the truths of His Word, they are not going in the 
way to hell, but in the way out of it. 

To lead the evil in this manner, is truly the very de- 
sign of that part of Swedenborg's work which relates to 
Scortatory Love ; and the members of the New Church 
believe that it is adapted to this end. The proper wit- 
nesses in this case are those who think well of this work — 
who believe it, and study it, and apply it to their lives so 
far as they find any parts of it suited to their particu- 
lar states of character. Regarding these as the proper 
witnesses in relation to the tendency of this work, I have 
inquired of many, of different characters, respecting its 
effects on their minds. I ask questions like the follow- 
ing, — Did this book ever seem to encourage or allow 
you, to become more unchaste than it found you 1 — to 
justify you in descending to less degrees of purity in af- 
fection, thought, deed, or word ; or even in remaining in 
so low a state as you were? The answer has been, and 
must ever be, that however chaste or unchaste it finds a 
person, it teaches and requires him to ascend, but never 
to descend. Of their improvement under this guidance, 
I say nothing. 

In relation to Swedenborg's classification of the va- 
rious kinds and degrees of impure love, and of corres- 
ponding actions, I have no farther defence to make. 
Those who object to the ^book, do not inquire into the 
correctness of this classification, but pass an indiscrim- 
inate censure, to which I have replied. 

I suppose that Swedenborg was properly instructed oa 
5 



50 



this subject ; and I know that I am very ignorant, and 
others are so also. We are too much in the habit of re- 
garding every sin of any particular class, as equally 
great. It is not, however,^ difficult to see that this 
is wrong ; but it is difficult for those of ordinary illu- 
mination to classify and describe them properly. I sup- 
pose that Swedenborg has done this. In a few cases 
it has seemed to me and to some of my brethren, that 
evils which he calls less than certain others, are not ob- 
viously less. But we suppose this results from the im- 
perfect degree in which we possess the opposites of these 
evils, which would enable us to discriminate justly. 

I can easily conceive that those who do not receive 
the writings of Swedenborg, should differ from him very 
much in their judgment respecting the various classes of 
evils. For this I should not blame them ; they will agree 
with him better when they are wiser. But, that they 
should invert the whole design of this book, and give the 
impression that Swedenborg attempts to annul the evil 
of any degree of unch astity or impurity, is not excusable, 
even with the apology, that they " had the glory of God 
in view." 

There are other things in this pamphlet which I have 
not noticed, that I regard as objectionable ; and I shall 
have occasion once more to refer to this principal subject ; 
but for the present, the attention of the reader shall be 
directed to the Second Pamphlet, 



REMARKS ON THE SECOND PAMPHLET. 



We come now to another pamphlet, and shall have oc- 
casion to name it after the Rev. Bennet Tyler, D. D. of 
Portland, Maine. It has the following title : 

li Remarks of Rev. John Wesley, on the Character and 
Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg" 

No part of this pamphlet tells by whom it was brought 
forward. It follows, as far as was convenient, after the 
example of Mr. Ellingwood's pamphlet that appeared 
twelve years ago. The proper responsibility for sending 
it before the public, is shifted off upon a man who died 
about forty years ago. I know no sufficient excuse for 
this, unless he or they who adopted this device, believed 
the common error about our conversing with the dead ; 
and thence inferred that we could bring to justice the 
dead author of this scandal and falsehood, as well as a 
living endorser. However this may have been, the pam- 
phlet does not tell where, nor when, nor by whom it was 
printed. 

As I declined answering the former as an anonymous 
pamphlet, I shall be expected to measure the same jus- 
tice to this ; and every reader will probably admit, that 
those who have revived this scurrilous stuff after it had 



52 



lain in its grave for fifty years, are as much in fault as 
though they were its authors. 

This Second Pamphlet was published at Portland in 
May, 1832. This appears from an advertisement of Da- 
vid Buxton, dated May 23d and inserted in the Maine 
Wesleyan Journal of May 24th, 1832. It was advertised 
in the Portland Courier also for several weeks. 

The reader would infer from these facts, and from its 
being originally a work of Mr. Wesley, that the Wesley- 
an Methodists were doubtless responsible for this attack. 
This is certainly the outside appearance ; but I am great- 
ly deceived if the Methodists were not placed in the front 
rank by those who preferred the old style of secret at- 
tack. 

It was published by subscription, and the name of Ben- 
net Tyler is the first on the list. The person who ob- 
tained the subscriptions, carried with him a recommenda- 
tion of the pamphlet from Dr. Tyler. The publisher 
was not at liberty to give the name of the printer, nor to 
show the subscription paper ; but I have good reason 
for supposing that it was printed by Arthur Shirley of 
Portland. It has been very difficult to obtain these facts ; 
and it is possible that I may have failed of correct in- 
formation in some of the particulars. Those who should 
have stated the whole to the public, were not willing to 
answer any questions respecting the manner in which the 
pamphlet was brought forward. It does not appear from 
any facts that I can obtain, that the Methodists took any 
active part in bringing it forward, 

By thus showing that this pamphlet probably sprang 
up in the same orthodox soil with the former, I do not 
mean to imply that the Methodists have less aversion to 
the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, than the Calvinists. 
I mean only to trace the pamphlet as well as I can.j to 



53 

him who had the principal or first agency in bringing 
it forward. I suppose that Dr. Tyler should be held re- 
sponsible for the sentiments, the assertions, the scurrility, 
and the falsehoods, which are thus published, and dispers- 
ed on the wings of Methodism. 

Mr. Wesley's Remarks are dated " Wakefield, May 9, 
1782." I believe they were first published in the Armin- 
ian Magazine. In the first paragraph he gives Sweden- 
borg's account of the Lord's appearing to him, and giv- 
ing him a commission to teach the Doctrines of the New 
Jerusalem, and opening his spiritual sight, so that he saw 
and conversed with spirits. Mr. Wesley then says : 

" Many years ago, the Baron came over to England, and 
lodged at one Mr. Brockmer's, who informed me, (and the 
same information was given me by Mr. Mathesius, a very se- 
rious Swedish clergyman, both of whom were alive when I left 
London, and, I suppose, are so still,) that while he was in his 
house he had a violent fever ; in the height of which, being 
totally delirious, he broke from Mr. Brockmer, ran into the 
street stark naked, proclaimed himself the Messiah, and rolled 
himself in the mire. I suppose he dates from this time his 
admission into the society of angels. From this time we are 
undoubtedly to date that peculiar species of insanity which 
attended him, with scarce any intermission, to the day of 
his death." 

In reply to this, I give Mr. Hindmarsh's statement. 

" Mr. Wesley asserts in his Arminian Magazine for August, 
1783, p. 438, that he was informed by one Mr. Brockmer, of 
London, and also by Mr. Mathesius, a Swedish clergyman, 
that Baron Swedenborg, while he lodged at the house of the 
former, ' had a violent fever, in the height of which, being 
totally delirious, he broke from Mr Brockmer, ran into the 
street stark naked, proclaimed himself the Messiah, and rolled 
himself in the mire.' Being desirous of ascertaining the truth 
or falsehood of this story from Mr. Brockmer's own mouth, I 
made it my business, in company with three other gentlemen 
now deceased, to wait upon him at his apartments in Fetter 
Lane, and to ask him whether he had ever communicated to 
Mr. Wesley, or to any other person, such information as above 
stated, at the same time showing him the different Numbers of 
5* 



54 

the Magazine, in which the reports published by Mr< Wesley 
were contained. After hearing the passages read, Mr. Brock- 
mer without hesitation denied the fact, positively declaring 
' that he had never opened his mouth on the subject to Mr* 
Wesley, nor had he ever given such an account to any other 
person ;' and he seemed much displeased, that Mr. Wesley 
should have taken the liberty to make use of his name in 
public print, without his knowledge or consent* ' Baron 
Swedenborg (said he) was never afflicted with any illness, 
much less with a violent fever, while at my house ; nor did 
he ever break from me in a delirious state, and run into the 
street stark naked, and there proclaim himself the Messiah, 
as Mr. Wesley has unjustly represented. But perhaps he 
may have heard a report to that effect from some other per- 
son ; and it is well known, that Mr. Wesley is a very credu- 
lous man, and easily to be imposed upon by any idle tale, 
from whatever quarter it may come." 

"I then put the following question to Mr. Brockmer: 
' Supposing it to be true, that Baron Swedenborg did actually 
see and converse with angels and spirits, did you ever ob- 
serve anything in his behavior, that might not naturally be 
expected on such an extraordinary occasion ?' He replied as 
follows : ' If I believed that to be true, I should net wonder 
at anything he said or did ; but should rather wonder, that 
the surprise and astonishment, which he must have felt on 
such an occasion, did not betray him into more unguarded 
expressions than were ever known to escape him ; for he did 
; nd said nothing, but what I could easily account for in my 
own mind, if I really believed what he declares in his wri- 
tings to be true.' 

" It is to be observed, that Mr. Brockmer was one of the 
people called Moravians, who are by no means friendly to the 
doctrines of the New Church, as laid down in the writings 
of Baron Swedenborg. The testimony, therefore, of such 
a man in favor of the equable and becoming deportment of 
his noble lodger, and to the silencing of those unfounded re- 
ports, to which Mr. Wesley {once an admirer of Swedenborg 
and his writings, but afterwards an avowed enemy to both,) 
so hastily and unworthily lent himself, must be received with 
due respect by every candid and unprejudiced mind.' 

" It appears, then, that the report of Baron Swedenborg's 
having been seized with a fever, in the height of which he 
broke from Mr. Brockmer, ran into the street naked, and pro- 
claimed himself the Messiah, is totally false. But even sup- 
posing it to be true, that he once had a fever accompanied 
with delirium, an affliction to which the wisest and best of 
men are subject, what has this to do with the general tenor 



aa 

of his writings, composed while he was in perfet health ? Is 
the character of a man to be estimated by what he says or 
does in such a state ? Would Mr. Wesley, Mr. Pike, or any 
other person, wish to be judged in this way ? But Mr. Pike 
says, p. 4, that ' Swedenborg's friends were obliged to ac- 
knowledge, that he once called himself the Messiah.' This 
is not true ; his friends (and I well know to whom the writer 
alludes under that name) never made any such acknowledg- 
ment : and Mr. Pike, with all the assistance he can derive 
from the anonymous author whom he quotes, is challenged to 
bring proof of the assertion. 

" Mr. Brockmer died a few months after he made the decla- 
ration above recited ; but the Peruke-maker alluded to by 
Mr. Wesley, namely, Mr. Richard Shearsmith, who lived in 
Cold Bath Fields, Clerkenwell, and at whose house Sweden- 
borg afterwards lodged and died, survived Mr. Brockmer many 
years. Him also I well knew, and have often had occasion 
to speak to him of the character, habits, and manners of the 
Baron ; and he uniformly gave the most unequivocal and 
honorable testimony concerning him, both with respect to the 
goodness of his heart, and the soundness of his understand- 
ing. He declared himself ready to attest (upon oath, if re- 
quired,) that 'from the first day of his coming to reside at 
his house, to the last day of his life, he always conducted 
himself in the most rational, prudent, pious, and christian- 
like manner ; and he was firmly of opinion, that every report 
injurious to his character had been raised merely from malice, 
or disaffection to his writings, by persons of a bigoted and 
contracted spirit.' Mr. Shearsmith has been dead now for 
some years. I saw him not long before his death ; and he 
continued to bear the same testimony, which he had so often 
repeated in my hearing during the course of the thirty years 
that I had known him. 

" The other person, whom Mr. Wesley names as having 
given him the same information as Mr. Brockmer had done, 
was Mr. Mathesius, a Swedish clergyman. Of the credit due 
to this Mathesius, the following extract of a letter from 
Christopher Springer, Esq. a Swedish gentleman of distinc- 
tion then resident in London, and the intimate friend of Baron 
Swedenborg, will enable the reader to form a just and cor- 
rect estimate. Speaking of the Baron's death, he observes, 
' When the deceased found his end approaching, and expressed 
a wish to have the communion administered to him, some- 
body present at the time proposed sending for Mr. Mathesius, 
the officiating minister of the Swedish church. This person 
was known to be a professed enemy of Baron Swedenborg, 
and had set his face against his writings. It was he that had 



56 

raised and spread the false account of Baron Swedenborg's 
having been deprived of his senses. Baron Swedenborg 
therefore declined taking the sacrament from him, and actu- 
ally received it from the hands of another ecclesiastic of his 
own country, named Ferelius, who at that time was a reader 
of Baron Swedenborg's writings, and is said to have con- 
tinued to do so ever since, at Stockholm, where he is now 
living (in 1786) ; and I have been assured, that, on this occa- 
sion, Baron Swedenborg expressly exhorted him 'to continue 
steadfast in the truth. Mr. Mathesius is said to have become 
insane himself, a short time after this ; and becoming thereby 
incapable of his function, has existed ever since, in that 
melancholy state, upon the bounty of the King of Sweden." 
— Vindication, pp. 15 to 19. 

Why did not Dr. Tyler and his friends use so much 
fairness as to inquire whether there was any proper reply 
to this scandalous falsehood, before they published it, and 
dispersed it with the four winds? He is far from being 
ignorant that there is a little society of the New Church 
in Portland ; nor is he ignorant of its members. If he 
had asked them for information, he would have obtained 
the very book from which I have quoted ; for I sent to 
Portland and obtained it from one of his neighbors 1 I 
believe that literary men do not consider it proper to 
propagate foolish and scandalous statements, when correct 
information can be easily obtained. Was it fair, honor- 
able, and like a Christian, for Dr. Tyler to put forth this 
calumny in a clandestine manner, without inquiring 
whether the statement was true or false ? Does he take it 
for granted, that every evil thing that is reported against 
the New Jerusalem, is true ? I hope not ; because the 
disposition to believe falsehoods, is nearly allied to that 
of making them. 

As so much reliance is placed on Mr. Wesley's opin- 
ions concerning Swedenborg, it may be proper to give 
some farther account of their origin, progress, and 
changes. I shall therefore make a long and interesting 
quotation from Mr. Noble's " Appeal in behalf of the 



57 

Doctrines of the New Jerusalem." This useful work 
might also have been easily obtained by Dr. Tyler and 
his associates. I shall copy from the Boston edition, pp. 
131 to 135. 

"It has given much pain to the receivers of the doctrines 
communicated in the writings of Swedenborg, that the 
circulation of the report of his insanity, should have been 
materially promoted by a man so much entitled to respect as 
the late Rev. Mr. Wesley. It is however certain, that in the 
part which he took in the affair, he was completely imposed 
upon by the Minister of the Swedish Chapel in London, Mr. 
Mathesius, who was Swedenborg's personal and violent ene- 
my ; — and I am providentially enabled, by some documents 
which have recently come into my hands, to trace the progress 
of Mr. Wesley's mind in regard to Swedenborg, in such a 
manner, as completely to neutralize his authority in the unfa- 
vorable conclusion which he, at last, adopted : for I am ena- 
bled to show, that, in that conclusion, Mr. Wesley stands in 
direct opposition to Mr. Wesley himself; and that his first 
judgment was formed upon far better- evidence than his lass. 
It appears certain, that Mr. Wesley was at one time inclined 
to receive Swedenborg's testimony in the fullest manner; 
and this because he had had indubitable experience of his super- 
natural knowledge, 

" Among Mr. Wesley's preachers, in the year 1772, was 
the late Mr. Smith, a man of great piety and integrity, who 
afterwards became one of the first ministers in our church. 
Having heard a curious anecdote said to rest on hisauthority, 
I wrote to Mr. J. I. Hawkins, the well known Engineer, who 
had been intimately acquainted with Mr. Smith, to request an 
exact account of it. The following (a little abbreviated) is his 
answer: it is dated February 6th, 1826. 

" ' Dear Sir, — In answer to your inquiries, I am able to 
state, that I have a clear recollection of having repeatedly 
heard the Rev. Samuel Smith say, about the year 1787 or 
1788, that in the latter end of February, 1772, he, with some 
other preachers, was in attendance upon the Rev. John Wes- 
ley, taking instructions and assisting him in the preparations 
for his great Circuit, which Mr. Wesley was about to com- 
mence : that while thus in attendance, a letter came to Mr. 
Wesley, which he perused with evident astonishment: that, 
after a pause, he read the letter to the company ; and that it 
was couched in nearly the following words: [the letter was 
most probably in Latin ; but Mr. Wesley, no doubt would read 
it in English :] 



58 

Great Bath Street, Cold Bath Fields, Feb. — 1772, 

1 Sir, — I have been informed in the world of spirits that 
you have a strong desire to converse with me ; I shall be 
happy to see you if you will favor me with a visit. 
'I am, sir, your humble servant, 

' Eman. Swedenborg.' 

" ' Mr. Wesley frankly acknowledged to the company, that 
he had been very strongly impressed with a desire to see and 
converse with Swedenborg, and that he had never mentioned 
that desire to any one. 

" * Mr. Wesley wrote for answer, that he was then closely 
occupied in preparing for six months' journey, but would do 
himself the pleasure of waiting upon Mr. Swedenborg soon 
after his return from London. 

" « Mr. Smith further informed me, that he afterwards learned 
from very good authority, that Swedenborg wrote in reply, 
that the visit proposed by Mr. Wesley would be too late, as 
he, Swedenborg, should go into the world of spirits on the 
29th day of the next month, never more to return. 

" ' Mr. Wesley went the Circuit, and on his return to London, 
Tif not, as is most probable, befnr^l ~~ ihfGTITiSd of the fflCt; 
that Swedenborg had departed this life on the 29th of March 
preceding. 

" ' This extraordinary correspondence induced Mr. Smith to 
examine the writings of Swedenborg ; and the result was, a 
firm conviction of the rationality and truth of the heavenly 
doctrines promulgated in those invaluable writings, which 
doctrines he zealously labored to disseminate during the re- 
mainder of his natural life. 

" ' That Mr. Smith was a man of undoubted veracity, can be 
testified by several persons now living, besides myself; the 
fact therefore that such a correspondence did take place be- 
tween the Honorable Emanuel Swedenborg and the Rev. 
John Wesley, is established upon the best authority. 

" ' Onreferring to Mr. Wesley's printed journal it may be 
seen, that he left London on the first of March in the year 
1772 ; reached Bristol on the 3d, Worcester on the 14th, and 
Chester on the 29th, which was the day of Swedenboig's 
final departure from this world. Mr. Wesley, in continuing 
his circuit, visited Liverpool, and various towns in the north 
of England, and in Scotland, returning through Northumber- 
land and Durham to Yorkshire, and thence through Derby- 
shire,' Staffordshire, and Shropshire, to Wales ; thence to 
Bristol, Salisbury, Winchester, and Portsmouth, to London, 
where he arrived on the 10th of October in the same year, 
having been absent rather more than six months, 



59 



u < I feel it my duty to accede to your request and allow my 
name to appear as your immediate voucher. 

I remain, Dear Sir, yours very sincerely, 

John Isaac Hawkins.' 

" To this I can add, that the Rev. Mr. Sibley has assured 
me, that he has heard Mr. Smith relate the above anecdote ; 
and that he could mention, if necessary, several other persons 
still living who must have heard it too. He fully, also, sup- 
ports Mr. Hawkins's statement in regard to Mr. Smith's vera- 
city. Thus it is impossible to doubt that Mr. Smith affirmed 
it ; and it is difficult to suppose that he could either wilfully 
or unintentionally misrepresent an incident which must have 
impressed him so strongly, and of which the consequent 
change of his sentiments formed a collateral evidence. 

" It may be here proper to observe, that the Translation of 
Swedenborg's little work on the Intercourse between the 
Soul and the Body had been published not long previously 
(in 1770,) with a preface by the translator, addressed to the 
Universities, urging the author's claims to attention. This 
Mr. W. had probably seen, and had thence conceived the de- 
sire he acknowledges, to see the author. The discovery that 
this desire, though it had remained a secret in his own breast, 
was known to Swedenborg, must have affected him very 
strongly : it must have convinced him that Swedenborg's 
assertion, that he possessed the privilege of conversing with 
angels and spirits, was true : and it is natural to suppose that 
he would conclude from it, that the cause assigned by Swe- 
denborg of his having received this privilege, namely, that he 
might be qualified for a holy office to which he had been 
called, was true also. There is, further, the strongest evi- 
dence that Mr. Wesley's conviction went as far as this. I 
had some time ago heard an anecdote demonstrating it related 
in conversation by the Reverend and venerable Mr. Clowes, 
Rector of St. John's, Manchester, whose high character for 
every quality that can adorn a minister of the gospel, and of 
course for veracity among the rest, is acknowledged by all 
who know him (and few are known through a wider circle — 
by those who differ from him as well as by those who agree 
with him in theological sentiment ;) I therefore lately wrote 
to him to request a written statement of the particulars, with 
leave to publish it with his name ; with which request he 
kindly complied. The part of his letter (dated January 19, 
1826) which relates immediately to this subject, is as follows : 

« « My very dear Sir, — In full and free compliance with 
your wishes, as expressed in your kind favor of the 16th, I 
send you the following Memoir of the late Mr. Wesley, as 



60 

communicated to me by my late pious and learned friend, 
Richard Houghton, Esq. of Liverpool, who was also intimately 
acquainted with Mr. Wesley, insomuch that the latter gentle- 
man never visited Liverpool without passing some time with 
Mr. Houghton. As near as I can recollect, it was in the 
spring of the year 1773 that I received the communication, 
one morning, when I called on Mr. Houghton at his own 
house, and at a time too, when the writings of the Hon. E. S. 
began to excite public attention. These writings were at 
that time unknown to myself, but not so to my friend Mr. 
Houghton, who was in the habit of correspondence with the 
Rev. T. Hartley on the subject, and was very eager to make 
me acquainted with them. Accordingly, in the course of our 
conversation, my friend took occasion to mention the name 
of Mr. Wesley, and the manner in which he, on a late visit to 
Liverpool, had expressed his sentiments on those writings. 
"We may now (said Mr. Wesley) burn all our books of The- 
ology. God has .sent us a teacher from heaven, and in the 
doctrines of Swedenborg we may learn all that is necessary 
for us to know." ' 

"The manner in which Mr. Wesley here expressed himself 
was strong indeed ; so much so, that were it not certain that 
his mind must have been at that time under a very powerful 
influence in Swedenborg's favor he might be suspected to 
have spoken ironically. This I observed in my letter to Mr. 
Clowes ; to which he replies, ' I can hardly conceive, from 
the manner in which it was expressed by Mr. Houghton, that 
irony had anything to do with it ;' and Mr. Houghton must 
have known with certainty whether it had or not. But an 
examination of dates will show, that Mr. Wesley's statement 
to that gentleman was made while the impression froia Swe- 
denborg's supernatural communication was acting in all its 
force. Mr. Clowes' interview with Mr. Houghton was in the 
spring of 1773: Mr. Wesley does not appear to have been at 
Liverpool between that time and the 10th of the preceding 
October, when he returned from his last great circuit. In 
that circuit he did visit Liverpool, and was there early in 
April, 1772. This then must be the ' late visit ' mentioned 
by Mr. Houghton ; and this was within six weeks after he had 
received the extraordinary communication from Sivedenborg* 
This is certain : and it is also highly probable, that, at the 
time of his visiting Liverpool,, the effect of that communica- 
tion was greatly strengthened, by the verification of the an- 
nouncement, which we have seen, Swedenborg had made to 
him of the day of his own death. He died, as he had an- 
nounced, on the 29th of March ; there can be little doubt that 
a notice of it appeared in the papers : it would thence, it is 



61 



highly probable, be known to Mr. Wesley when he was at 
Liverpool, about a fortnight afterwards : and the words he 
then littered to Mr. Houghton will not appear stronger than 
he might be expected to use, when two such recent and 
completely incontrovertible proofs of the truth of Sweden- 
borg's pretensions were operating on his mind. 

" Yet Mr. Wesley, thus miraculously convinced of the truth 
of Swedenborg's pretensions (as far, at least, as relates to his 
intercourse with the spiritual world,) afterwards exerted 
himself to check the extension of the same conviction to 
others ! in which, however, he only afforded a proof of Swe- 
denborg's constant assertion, that miraculous evidence is 
inefficacious for producing any real or permanent change in 
a man's confirmed religious sentiments. When Mr. Wesley 
uttered the strong declaration respecting Swedenborg and 
his writings, he spoke of the latter, rather from what he ex- 
pected to find them, than from what he actually knew them 
to be. The probability is, that he at this time knew little 
more of them than he had learned from the tract on ' the 
Intercourse :' which contains, probably, nothing that he would 
except against ; especially as it is certain, as there will be 
opportunity of showing in the next Section, that even the 
treatise on Heaven and Hell, which gives the main results 
of Swedenborg's spiritual experience, was not condemned by 
him. But when he came to find that Swedenborg's writings 
militated against some of the sentiments that he had strongly 
confirmed in his own mind ; these, which were his interior 
convictions, gradually threw off the exterior conviction aris- 
ing from merely outward though miraculous evidence : hence, 
even before the end of the year 1773, as Mr. Houghton after- 
wards informed Mr. Clowes, he inserted in his journal a sar- 
casm on one of Swedenborg's ' Memorable Relations ;' and 
hence he afterwards accepted the false report of Mathesius, 
and promoted its circulation. Indeed, there can be no doubt 
that, then, such a statement as that of Mathesius would ope- 
rate as a relief to him ; for though he could not receive the 
whole of Swedenborg's doctrines, the positive proof he pos- 
sessed of the author's supernatural knowledge must often 
have disturbed him in his rejection of them: he must there- 
fore have been glad to meet with anything which could make 
him, with regard to that rejection, better satisfied with him- 
self. Finally, perhaps other causes assisted to strengthen 
his opposition. When first he published the slanderous re- 
port (in 1781,) he still seems to have had some misgivings ; 
hence he prefaced it with the acknowledgment, that Sweden- 
borg was ' a very great man? and that in his writings, ' there 
are many excellent things ;' when he afterwards seemed less 
6 



62 

inclined to admit so much, although, no doubt, he still spoke 
sincerely, a little human frailty, perhaps, influenced his judg- 
ment. It is well known that Mr. W. was always prompt in 
taking measures to put down anything like rebellion among 
his disciples, — anything that tended to the diminution of his 
authority over their minds. Now it is a certain fact, that Mr. 
Smith was not the only one of his pupils who began to think 
the doctrines of the New Church superior to those of Metho- 
dism : among his other preachers who came to the same con- 
clusion, were Mr. James Hindmarsh, Mr. Isaac Hawkins, and 
Mr. R. Jackson, deceased, with Mr. J. W. Salmon and Mr. T. 
Parker, still living : all of whom became active promoters of 
those doctrines : it therefore is not to be wondered at, that 
Mr. W. at last took the most decisive steps to check their fur- 
ther extension among his flock. 

After reading this account it will appear strange to 
find Mr. Wesley guessing, and guessing so badly, as to 
the time of Swedenborg's decease. Having mentioned 
the date of Swedenborg's letter to Mr. Hartley, viz, 
" 1769," he says — " I think he lived nine or ten years 
longer." 

On p. 2. of the Remarks, Mr. Wesley says — " Desir- 
ing to be thoroughly master of the subject, I procured 
the first volume of his last and largest theological work, 
entitled, ' True Christian Religion.' " 

Why should a man of Mr. Wesley's learning make 
such blunders 1 And why should his blunders be now 
repeated by those who can so easily correct them ? The 
True Christian Religion was indeed the last work that 
Swedenborg published ; but it is not the largest, nor is it 
the proper work to show fairly his manner of interpreting 
the Scripture. The common translation consists of two 
volumes, 8vo. The Arcana Coelestia consists of 12 vol- 
umes, 8vo ; and the Apocalypse Revealed of two larger 
volumes. There are many other volumes which were 
then translated, and others in Latin, which so great a 
reader as Mr. Wesley should have been expected to study 
carefully, before thinking that he was " thoroughly mas- 



63 



ter of the subject" It seems that he had seen the little 
work on the Intercourse between the Soul and Body, and 
the work on Heaven and Hell, and the True Christian 
Religion ; and that he had some knowledge of the work 
on Heaven and Hell and of one volume of the True 
Christian Religion. How very little he knew of the 
true character of either of these works may be easily in- 
ferred, when the reader notices that he read them to sneer 
at them and ridicule them. 

This pamphlet is composed almost wholly of such ex- 
tracts from the two volumes above named, as excited in 
Mr. Wesley's mind contempt and derision, and of his 
sneering and contemptuous remarks. If this is the spirit 
of controversy which Dr. Tyler and the other friends of 
this publication approve and exercise, we Cannot wonder 
that any doctrine or truth which does not originate with 
their own party, is " despised and rejected." And they may 
be very certain that the ground which they thus assume 
in attacking the New Church, is ground on which we 
shall not feel authorized to meet them. They will have 
the field to themselves, and will make only imaginary 
attacks on the writings of Swedenborg and the Doctrines 
of the New Jerusalem. 

It really seems to me, that this is not the way to prove 
that the Old Church has not come to an end, and that 
the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem are not from heaven. 
It looks so much like the spirit with which the Lord was 
treated by the Jews, that I cannot but regard it as fore- 
boding the same desolation. I do not, however, expect 
that the enemies of the Lord's Second Advent will at- 
tend to any warnings, but that the things which belong 
to their peace will be hidden from their eyes. 

There are, however, some in every sect, who can see 
that true religion is not promoted, but is destroyed, by 



64 

indulging this bitter and contemptuous spirit even against 
enemies. And the Doctrines of the New Church, where 
they have been received and promulgated, have not been 
found to produce such evil effects on the lives of the re- 
ceivers, as to make sober and candid persons regard this 
harsh treatment with approbation. Those only who are 
heated with party zeal, are found to justify such malig- 
nant censure of the principles of any class of men ; and 
I am ready to hope that even the gentlemen who have 
brought forward these falsehoods and sneers against Swe- 
denborg and his writings, will yet see the wickedness of 
such conduct, and exercise proper repentance. 

I hope the reader will not have inferred, that I impute 
the falsehoods of this pamphlet to Mr. Wesley as volun- 
tary and deliberate acts. I know not how he came by 
them, but suppose that he received them from Mr. Ma- 
thesius. Neither do I mean to charge Dr. Tyler and his 
associates with reviving and propagating falsehoods, know- 
ing them to be such. That there are false statements in 
the pamphlet, and that Dr. Tyler had the means of cor- 
rect information, and that the whole pamphlet is predica- 
ted on that view of Sweden borg which these falsehoods 
give, must be apparent to every reader. Whether Dr. 
Tyler and his associates will think that justice demands 
of them a retraction of these falsehoods, I have no means 
of judging. But they will now see distinctly why I 
sought out their names, and thought they ought to be 
held responsible for repeating Mr. Wesley's assertions. 

Perhaps some persons who have not read Mr. Wesley's 
remarks may read this reply, and think that my asser- 
tions respecting the style of this attack require illustra- 
tion and proof. They may wish to know what I call 
sneering and contemptuous remarks. The following 
are a very few out of the number of examples. 



65 

" I make no scruple to affirm, this is as arrant non- 
sense as was ever pronounced by any man in Bedlam." 

This is said in relation to Swedenborg's remark — 
" The Lord is charity and faith in man ; and man is 
charity and faith in the Lord." 

Mr. Wesley is dead, and I have no access to him ; 
but I will ask the endorsers of this remark, how they 
explain the text — " Abide in Me, and I in you 1 " 
Does not the Lord abide in man by charity and faith ; 
and does not man abide in the Lord by charity and faith ? 

But to proceed with the examples : " What heaps of 
absurdity are here ! only fit to have a place in Orlando 
Furioso." " Blasphemy, joined with consummate non- 
sense." ct Blasphemous nonsense again." " All his 
folly and nonsense we may excuse ; but not his making 
God a liar : nor his contradicting, in so open and fla- 
grant a manner, the whole oracles of God." 

The reader will probably be willing to take my word 
for the rest. In looking through the pamphlet, I notice 
occasional attempts to oppose Swedenborg's assertions, 
by quotations from the Word ; but I could not reply to 
these without first stating Swedenborg's meaning anew, 
and then defending it. This seems to me superfluous. 
When a writer comes forward in good humor, and with 
any fairness of disposition, and opposes the truths of 
the New Church, I shall suppose that his real purpose is 
to know the truth, and I shall therefore regard him as a 
brother, and meet him as a brother. But when one or 
many individuals assail these truths in the language of 
blackguard, I cannot meet them on their own ground, 
nor expect them to come to any ground on which it is 
proper for a Christian to meet them. And as to those 
who are liable to be deceived by the spirit and falsity of 
such statements, I am not aware that I can do them 
6* 



60 

more good, than by recommending to them to reject such 
statements as are obviously made from an evil spirit. If 
this caution be not sufficient, their own affections cannot 
be regarded as in a proper state to receive instruction. If 
they love darkness rather than light, they will not come 
to the light even if it be manifested. On one subject, 
however, I think a few remarks may be useful. Mr. Wes- 
ley says — 

" The most dangerous part of all his writings I take to be 
the account which he gives of hell. It directly tends to 
familiarize it to unholy men, to remove all their terror, and to 
make them consider it not as a place of torment, but a very 
tolerable habitation." 

The view of future punishment which Mr. Wesley pre- 
sents as his own belief, makes it wholly arbitrary and vin- 
dictive. He does indeed present this principally by quo- 
tations from the Word ; but these are given in a man- 
ner to show conclusively, that he understood them in a very 
gross external sense. Thus, in opposition to the idea 
that hell consists in a state of wickedness in heart and life, 
— a state in which men eat of the fruit of their own 
way, and are filled with their own devices, — he quotes 
and remarks as follows : 

" Tophet is ordained of old : he hath made it deep and 
large. (God himself, and not man:) The pile thereof is fire 
and much wood : the breath of the Lord, as a stream of 
brimstone, doth kindle it." 

He then quotes other texts having a similar literal 
character, and leaves the impression distinctly, that he 
believes in a hell of literal fire and brimstone, and 
punishment vindictively poured from vials of divine 
wrath. 

I have before me an article from Brown's History, 
which furnishes pretty strong evidence that Mr. Wesley 



67 



did not believe in the doctrine of endless punishment. 
Mr. Noble's Appeal also proves that when Mr. Wesley first 
read Swedenborg's work on Heaven and Hell, he did not 
think it a bad book. His mind seems to have been un- 
settled on this subject. We cannot therefore wonder, 
that when he was sufficiently excited and angry, to make 
an attack on this work, he should talk wildly; and I cer- 
tainly should have regarded his remarks as wholly un- 
worthy of notice, if Dr. Tyler and his friends had not 
revived them, and thereby sanctioned them. 

But do Calvinists and Methodists of the present day 
really believe in a literal hell of fire and brimstone, and 
tixat men are there to be tormented vindictively ? I know 
that some of their most respectable teachers do not be- 
lieve this'; and I seriously doubt whether any respectable 
man among them would venture to put his name to such 
remarks on the subject, as this pamphlet presents. 

The reader is desired to observe that in the view of 
hell which Mr, Wesley gives, it is made to proceed from 
God. We judge of a fountain by its streams : What 
then do Mr. Wesley and Dr. Tyler make God to be l Do 
they believe that he is love, or that he is hell ? 

Swedenborg's general representation is, that hell con- 
sists of the wicked ; that they there live wickedly — indul- 
ging their various evil affections, passions, or lusts ; and 
that the misery of hell is the natural and necessary con- 
comitant and consequence of their wickedness. Men 
are not, however, permitted in hell to indulge their vari- 
ous evil passions without any restraint. They are made 
subject to laws ; and for the violation of these laws they 
are punished. A great part of their misery results from 
their burning desire to commit more and greater acts of 
wickedness, than are allowed. 

This is the view of hell which Mr. Wesley thinks so dan- 



68 

gerous, and which he ridicules and condemns. He is 
especially offended that Swedenborg represents that for- 
nicators and adulterers are in hell, and that they there 
live as fornicators and adulterers. He thinks that this 
takes away the terror of hell torments. 

He calls Swedenborg " that filthy dreamer, who takes 
care to provide harlots, instead of fire and brimstone, for 
the devils and dammed spirits in hell." 

On the same ground he regards this doctrine as worse 
than Mohammedanism. 

"Amazing! So the Christian Koran exceeds even the 
Mohammedan ! Mohammed allowed such to be in paradise ; 
but he never thought of placing them in hell I " 

So it seems that Mr. Wesley thought, and that Dr. Tyler 
thinks, it more impious and absurd to represent harlots 
as in hell, than as in heaven. I know that men usually 
judge of these things according to their own states of 
affection. What a man loves, he is apt to believe is in 
heaven ; and what he hates he is apt to believe is in hell. 
So, also, he regards that as a state of happiness, where 
such things as he loves are fully possessed ; and that as a 
state of misery where such things as he hates are fully 
possessed. But I had hoped better things of Mr. Wesley, 
Dr. Tyler, and the other subscribers to this pamphlet, than 
that the terrors of hell would seem to them to be taken 
away, by allowing there the company of harlots. Indeed, I 
will not doubt that these remarks were originally made, 
and have now been repeated, incautiously ; and I desire to 
take no other advantage of them, than to make the oppo- 
nents of the New Church more prudent in future. 

Mr. Wesley does, indeed, first represent that these state- 
ments of Swedenborg will have the tendency to make 
" unholy men" regard hell with less terror ; but his subse- 



69 



quent remarks show plainly that such was his own view 
of allowing harlotry in hell. He obviously thought that 
such a hell would be no hell at all. 

I will here make a passing remark on the passage from 
Swedenborg, quoted on p. 15 of the pamphlet, which 
begins thus : 

" Satan was once permitted to ascend out of hell with 
a woman to my house." 

When Swedenborg saw spiritual beings, he was " in 
the spirit," and saw them in the spiritual world. The 
house in which he then was, was a spiritual house, and 
not material. Swedenborg shows that those wicked 
spirits who have become confirmed in the love and belief 
of falsities, or false doctrines, are called satans, or by the 
general name, Satan ; and that those who have become 
confirmed in the love and practice of evils, or wicked acts, 
are called devils, or the Devil. The passage above 
quoted should have been translated with the indefinite 
article before satan thus, " A satan was once permitted 
fyc. Swedenborg does not teach the common notion, that 
there is one prince of devils who is called Satan. — I re- 
turn now from this digression. 

As to the effect of this doctrine of future punishment 
on the minds of evil men, I believe that men are now able 
to be enlightened more than formerly concerning the na- 
ture of rewards and punishments. Most persons can proba- 
bly see that a great change has actually taken place, and 
is taking place in the minds of men in relation to this sub- 
ject. Seventyfive years ago (the period when Sweden- 
borg says the Last Judgment took place in the spiritual 
world) the doctrine which Mr. Wesley presents in his Re- 
marks, very generally prevailed. Now those who open- 
ly reject this, are very numerous in every country of 
Christendom. A large class of these deny all future 



70 



misery ; another extensive class limit future misery both 
as to degree and duration ; and another believe it to be 
intense and endless, but profess not to know in what it 
will consist. Among this last class there are continual 
speculations as to the nature of future misery ; and sev- 
eral are known to disbelieve that it will be inflicted vin- 
dictively, and consist in punishment in a literal hell of 
fire and brimstone. 

Thus the Old Church is broken up into fragments as it 
respects this doctrine, — and I might add, with respect to 
many others. The minds of most persons reject the old 
doctrine, as cruel, vindictive, and absurd. I do not, 
however, think that they are really driven to such ex- 
tremes as many adopt; but in this, as in other things, 
they fail of doing so well as they have ability to do. If, 
while they see the inconsistency of the old doctrine, they 
would look more intently at the nature of sin, and care- 
fully endeavor to shun it according to the command- 
ants, I believe their minds would be more open to see 
the nature of the misery, which is the natural and neces- 
sary concomitant and consequence of sin in the present 
and the future life. Some persons do make great pro- 
gress in such knowledge, even without any acquaintance 
with the New Church or the writings of Swedenborg ; 
and it has ceased to be uncommon to hear sentiments 
expressed, even in the pulpit, that agree with the doctrine 
of the New Church concerning future happiness and 
misery. 

Although men are so prone to make hell consist of 
what they actually hate, I believe they are now capable 
of seeing that it consists rather of what is opposed to the 
Lord and His Word, and thus of what men ought to hate. 
And whoever will reflect on this subject seriously, and 
observe the operations of his own mind, and the minds of 



71 



other wicked persons, may see distinctly that men have 
ability to shun evil because it is evil, — to shun hell be- 
cause it is a hell of evil. It may also be seen, that when 
this view of hell, and of the misery of hell, is presented 
to the mind, the Spirit of Truth accompanies it, and re- 
proves concerning sin ; and that this doctrine has far 
greater power to deter man from sin, in the present state 
of the freedom of his mind, than the old doctrine of ar- 
bitrary and vindictive punishment. 

After one allusion more to these pamphlets, I shall dis- 
miss them. 

It will be recollected that the main purpose and effect 
of Mr. Ellingwood's pamphlet, was to make the public 
believe that Swedenborg greatly abated from, or even an- 
nulled, the evil of fornication and adultery. 

In Doctor Tyler's pamphlet the worst thing that is 
found against Swedenborg, is that he allows harlotry to 
exist in hell, and makes hell to consist of this and simi- 
lar evils ! ! 

How do these two allegations agree ? If Swedenborg 
makes these to be the constituents of hell, is it not mak- 
ing them about as bad as a man could be reasonably 
expected to make them ? — especially when such views 
as Mr. Wesley's, that this takes away from the misery and 
terror of hell, and not allowed in abatement ? Indeed, I 
see not what these gentlemen would have. One will not 
allow us to take away from the evil and the awful conse- 
quences of certain crimes : and the other will not allow 
us to place them in hell, and make them constituents of 
eternal wickedness and misery. 



Some other common errors may properly be noticed, 
after having given suitable attention to those which are 
sanctioned by the two popular pamphlets that I have just 
reviewed. 



72. 

The first which now occurs to me, is that which repre- 
sents Swedenborg as making all things material in the 
spiritual world. 

Swedenborg teaches that men are in a human form 
after death : that they have bodily organs and faculties, 
even more perfect than they had in this world ; that there 
are in the spiritual world, lands, houses, gardens, trees, 
mountains, rivers, valleys, animals in great variety, vari- 
ous forms of government, different orders of society, and 
such occupations as men have in this life. The common 
impression is, that Swedenborg regarded the various ob- 
jects in the spiritual world as material; and thus teaches 
that there are in that world material bodies of man, mate- 
rial trees, mountains, rivers, &c. 

This opinion is wholly erroneous. When John was in 
the spirit, and saw various things in the spiritual world, 
the things which he saw were spiritual and not material. 
Still, they had form and substance ; and were seen with 
the spiritual eyes as material things are seen with the natural 
eyes. So it is with those things which Swedenborg de- 
scribes as in the spiritual world. They are real and substan- 
tial, and have organization and bodily form ; but they are 
not material, nor subject to the laws of material things. 

Connected with the preceding error is another, that 
seems to be very prevalent. 

Swedenborg professed to have had his spiritual sight 
opened, so that he was admitted to free intercourse with 
persons in the spiritual world from the year 1743 to 
1772, the time of his decease. He teaches that, when 
the Lord pleases, the spiritual sight of any person can be 
thus opened. All this is fully believed by the members 
of the New Church. 

The common report on this subject, is that Sweden- 



73 

borg professed, and that members of the New Church do 
now profess, to have open, external, material intercourse 
with spirits : that they do set chairs for spirits and for 
absent friends at their tables and parties ; that they pro- 
fess to see spirits with their material eyes, and have so- 
cial intercourse with them by means of their bodily fac- 
ulties. This is only a glance at this error : I might fill 
a large pamphlet with the stories that have been circula- 
ted respecting Swedenborg's entertaining spirits, paying 
for their passage and meals on board the ships in which 
he sailed, and the stories respecting similar pretensions to 
intercourse with the deceased, by various receivers of 
the doctrines of the New Church. 

These stories are related with such confidence, that I 
fear a reputation for veracity much greater than mine 
will be thought necessary to oppose them. Neverthe- 
less, I shall say nay, and those who know me will believe 
that I speak truly. Swedenborg teaches that such inter- 
course between those who are in spiritual bodies, and 
those who are in material bodies, is absolutely impossible ; 
and I never heard of a case in which any member of the 
New Church pretended to have such intercourse, or to 
believe it possible. Still, some may say that members of 
the New Church believe that they have some kind of in- 
tercourse analogous to what has been spoken of. 

It is difficult to frame a negative that will contradict all 
the forms which an error may assume. I will therefore, 
begin with an affirmative, and end with a negative. 
Members of the New Church do believe that when the 
Lord pleases, He can open the human mind, so as to render 
spiritual things visible to the spiritual eyes — the eyes that 
man will see with when his body is dead ; and they do 
believe that such spiritual vision, and spiritual hearing, 
and feeling, and conversation, have been granted to 
7 



74 

many persons. There are many such cases spoken of in 
the Word : others, that have occurred in the Old Church, 
seem to be well authenticated ; and we do not doubt 
that such may have occurred, and that others may occur, 
with members of the New Church. We do not regard 
such things as impossible. But among all the stories of 
this and the preceding class, that I have heard, related 
by the Old Church and the world respecting members of 
the New, during the seventeen years that they have been 
repeating them to me, I firmly believe I can say truly, 
that they are all wholly false. 

It should be distinctly observed, that whenever a per- 
son who is in a material body sees a spirit, he sees it by 
having his spiritual eyes opened. The change is in the 
person whe sees, and not in the spirit that is seen. Ac- 
cording to this principle all the passages of Scripture are 
to be understood, which teach that men saw the Lord or 
angels, except those which refer to the Lord while He 
dwelt in a material body. When He was seen at the 
Transfiguration, and after His resurrection, He was seen 
only with the spiritual eyes. The same is true of the 
cases in which He was seen before He was manifested 
in the flesh. 

It is commonly asserted by the various sects at the 
present day, that the Scriptures give us no 10 arrant for ex- 
pecting any new revelation. I shall copy Mr. Hind- 
marsh's remarks on this assertion. See his Vindication, 
pp . 29 — 31. 

" Now, in opposition to this, our Lord expressly says to his 
disciples, ' I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye 
cannot bear them now. Ho wbeit, when He the Spirit of Truth 
is come, he will guide you into all truth.' John xvi. 12, 13. 
Here he evidently declares, that the revelation, which in his 
divine wisdom he saw was best suited and adapted to their 
imperfect comprehension at that time, would in some future 
day be succeeded by one more distinct and full, when the 
Spirit of Truth would enlighten their understandings with new 



75 



discoveries of his Word and will, which they were then inca- 
pable of receiving. In another verse of the same chapter he 
adds, ' These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs : 
the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in 
proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.' v. 25. 
Here, again, a new and plainer revelation concerning the 
Father, in addition to that which they were then favored with, 
is distinctly promised ; and we know, that this promise was 
never fulfilled until the publication of the heavenly doctrines 
of the New Jerusalem, which teach that Jesus Christ, the 
Redeemer and Savior of the world, is at the same time its 
Creator and Preserver, and consequently the Only God of 
heaven and earth, the Everlasting Father himself. See Isa. 
ix. 6. Chap. xl. 3, 9, 10. Chap, xliii. 1, 11. Chap, lxiii. 16. 
John xiv. 9. Apoc. i. 8, 11, 17. Chap. xxii. 13. 

" From a variety of other passages, it appears, that the 
Lord was, in some future day, to come in the clouds of heaven 
with power and great glory, Matt. xxiv. 30 ; that is, in his 
Holy Word, unloosing the seals of its letter, Isa. xxix. 11 ; 
and revealing its spiritual sense, Apoc. v. 1 to 9. The prophet 
Isaiah, speaking of this time, saith, ' The glory of Jehovah 
shall he revealed, and all flesh shall see it together? Isa. xl. 5. 
' Jehovah shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall he seen upon 
thee.' Chap. Ix. 2. And in the Apocalypse it is written, 
' The Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show 
unto his servants the things which must shortly he done. 
Behold, i" come quickly, and my reward is with me.' Apoc. 
xxii. 6, 12. ' Write the things which thou hast seen, and the 
things which are, and the things which shall he hereafter? 
Apoc. i. 19. ' The temple of God was opened in heaven, and 
there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.'' Apoc. 
xi. 19. 'And after that I looked, and behold, the temple 
of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened, 
Apoc. xv. 5. And again, ' I saw heaven opened, and behold, 
a white horse ; and he that sat upon him was called faithful 
and true. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood ; 
and his name is called The Word of God? Apoc. xix. 11, 13. 
These and many other passages both in the Old and the New 
Testament clearly show, that some further manifestation of 
divine truth, beyond the mere literal expressions contained 
in the Word, was to be communicated to the church on earth, 
and that such manifestation would in fact be a new revelation 
of the glory of the Lord. 

" The apostle Paul likewise says, that ' the Lord Jesus 
shall he revealed from heaven ; that he shall come to be glori- 
fied in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe 
in that day,' 2 Thess. i. 7, 10. But that ' the day of Christ 
shall be preceded by a general falling away from the true 



76 

faith.' 2 Thess. ii. 2, 3. Which agrees with our Lord's 
words, where he saith, ' When the Son of Man cometh, shall 
he find faith on the earth V Luke xviii. 8. In like manner the 
apostle Peter speaks of ' the grace that is to be brought into 
the church at the revelation of Jesus ChrisV 1 Pet. i. 13. 
In all these cases a future revelation is clearly announced. 
It is called the revelation of Jesus Christ, not because He will 
then manifest himself to the world in person, or in an open 
and visible manner, as some are led to expect,. but because 
He will open the interior sense of his Word, which indeed is 
Himself, John i. 1, 14, and thereby communicate new light 
and new life to those, who heretofore were sitting in the 
shade and obscurity of its letter." 

When members of the New Church speak of the first 
Christian Church as having perverted and falsified all the 
essential doctrines of Christianity, and hence as having 
come to an end, it is sometimes inferred that the mem- 
bers of the New Church mean to deny that any others re- 
ceive and believe any truths of revelation. 

This is not a correct inference. We believe that the 
truths of the New Jerusalem descend from God out of 
heaven, and flow, in some degree, into the mind of every 
person in the world, who sincerely endeavors to shun evil, 
and do good. But the principal and proper medium of 
these truths, to those who can read and understand, is the 
Sacred Scripture, explained and illustrated by the writ- 
ings of Swedenborg. These are not the only means of 
instruction in spiritual knowledge ; but the Lord has given 
these, and it is not safe to reject, or neglect to improve them. 

In conclusion, I beg leave to inquire seriously of those 
who treat the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem with in- 
difference or derision, whether they have given them so 
candid and faithful an examination, as fully to warrant the 
conclusion that they are not what they profess to be — Doc- 
trines revealed from Heaven. And is it not most pru- 
dent for those who have not given these doctrines such an 
examination, to be cautious as to opposing them, lest haply 
they be found even to fight against God? 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



JOHN ALLE 




Ilm mil iiiii mil mil 111 

021 212 928 8 
NO. 11, SCHOOL STre^t, 

HAS LATELY RECEIVED AN INVOICE OF BOOKS FROM LONDON, 
AMONG WHICH ARE THE FOLLOWING: 



Arcana Ccelestia, 12 vols. 8vo» 
Index to Do. 2 vols. 8vo. 
Apocalypse Revealed, 2 vols. Svo. 
Do. Explained, 6 vols. 8vo. 
Index to Do. 1 vol. 8vo. 
Coronis, or Appendix to the True 

Christian Religion. 
Internal Sense of the Prophets 

and Psalms. 
Four Leading Doctrines of the 

N. C. 1 vol. 8vo. 
Do. do. 1 vol. 12mo. 

Hindmarsh's Dictionary of Cor- 
respondences. 
Do. Key to Numbers, Weights, 

and Measures. 
Hymns for the New Church, 3d 

London edition. 
The Astronomical Doctrine of a 

Plurality of Worlds, Rev. S. 

Noble. 



Essay on the Credibility of Swe- 

denborg. 
Clowes on Matthew. 
Do. on Mark. 
Do. on Luke. 
Do. on John. 
Do. Sermons on the parable of 

the Ten Virgins. 
Do. Two Heavenly Memorialists. 
Do. on the Twelve Hours of the 

Day. 
Do. Mediums. 
Improbability of the Destruction 

of the Earth. 
Brief View concerning Marriage, 

&c. 
A Plain Statement of what is 

taught in the Church signified 

(in the Revelation) by the 

New Jerusalem. 



American Editions. 



Divine Providence. 

Divine Love and Wisdom. 

Heaven and Hell. 

Conjugial Love. 

Doctrine of the Lord. 

Do. of the Sacred Scriptures. 

Treatise on Influx. 

Doctrine of Faith. 

Noble on the Plenary Inspiration 
of the Sacred Scriptures. 

Noble's Appeal. 

'Worcester's Sermons. 

Observations on the Growth of 
the Mind. 

Treatise on the Last Judgment. 

The Earths in the Universe. 

Concerningthe Athanasian Creed. 

Divine Love and Wisdom, 18mo. 

Brief remarks on the Atonement. 

Dialogues on the Apostolic Doc- 
trine of the Atonement. 



Scripture Doctrine of Regenera- 
tion and Good Works. 

The True Object of Christian 
Worship. 

Interpretation of the Parable of 
the Unjust Steward. 

The Golden Wedding Ring. 

Doctrine of Life. 

New Jerusalem Tracts, Nos, 1, 
2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, together in 
cover. 

Do. Nos. 7, and 8, together in 
cover. 

Heavenly'Doctrines of the New 
Jerusalem. 

A Brief Exposition of the Doc- 
trines of the New Church. 

Nine Queries Concerning the 
Trinity, &c. 

Life of Swedenborg. 

Aphorisms of Wisdom. 



